The European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE and of the Council of Europe have agreed to sponsor the parliamentary dimension of the Stability Pact by creating a Parliamentary Troika covering all aspects and all Working Tables of the Stability Pact. At their meeting with Stability Pact Coordinator Bodo Hombach, representatives of the European Parliament, MEP Elmar Brok, and of the two Assemblies, MP Andras Barsony representing the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and MP Adrian Severin representing the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, considered a rotating chairmanship. The European Parliament would start assuming this function for the second half of 2001. It plans to host a Parliamentary Conference for parliamentarians of all Stability Pact partners on 17&18 September 2001 in Brussels.

Stability Pact Special Coordinator Bodo Hombach called the setting up of the Parliamentary Troika a "major step forward to a democratic underpinning of the Pact’s activities and a reflection of the constructive role parliaments and parliamentarians have played in the pacts two years of existence, especially their pivotal role in securing financial support, in pushing for reforms and in explaining the importance of the Pact to the general public."

The aim of the parliamentary co-operation within the Stability Pact is to strengthen the efficiency of parliaments in Southeastern Europe, to promote bilateral and multilateral co-operation amongst parliaments in the region, and to contribute to bringing the countries and their parliaments closer to the European Union, especially for those countries which are not yet candidates. With the institutionalised sponsorship by three major parliamentary institutions, representing a parliamentary component of nearly every participating country of the Stability Pact, the parliamentary co-operation within the region will become a prominent feature of regional co-operation in Southeast Europe.

Member of the European Parliament Elmar Brok (Germany) is chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy.

Andras Barsony, MP (Hungary) representing the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Lord Russell –Johnston.

Adrian Severin, MP (Romania), President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

For detailed description of Stability Pact Parliamentary Co-operation, see:

http://www.stabilitypact.org/stabilitypactcgi/catalog/cat_descr.cgi?subcat=1&prod_id=7