Sharing Central Europe’s Experience with South Eastern Europe 

The Second Transformation Experience Workshop 

Bratislava,  01 October 2003

Central European (CE) members of the Stability Pact have much to offer the countries of South Eastern Europe (SEE).  Having only recently undergone major transformation processes, their expertise and experience both in terms of its direct relevance and cost-effectiveness ought to be considered a principal tool for delivering international resources efficiently to the SEE region.  Furthermore, the experiences, which the five participating CE countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia) have gone through, are of a very similar type to what Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro) are or will be conducting in the framework of the Stabilisation and Association process.  Therefore, the Central European experience is highly relevant.

Obliged, as a consequence of EU membership, to develop foreign assistance programmes, most CE countries have already started down this path, with particular emphasis on supporting SEE.   Based on previous and ongoing assistance activities, the five countries are developing targeted foreign assistance programmes, which cover in part the Core Objectives of the Stability Pact.  Hungary and Slovakia are basing many of the current effort on the so-called Szeged and Bratislava processes, which at the time supported the democratic opposition forces to the former Milosevic regime in Yugoslavia.  Slovenia plans, as of 2004, to offer development cooperation agreements to the Western Balkan states.  As one of the most important investors in the region, Slovenia also focuses on business promotion and training.  Poland and the Czech Republic have, among other efforts, engaged in training activities for civil servants and judicial personnel.  Both are focusing on decentralising local government, cross border co-operation and support for civil society. 

The first Transformation Experience Workshop held in Vienna 05 May aimed to start a dialogue both among the emerging donors of Central Europe as well as between them and the traditional donors to SEE.   Three major advantages emerged as clear assets amongst the five CE countries as fields where their support to Western Balkans can be particularly fruitful: technical (rather than financial) assistance; the transformation experience from planned to market economy; and the experience of accession negotiations with the EU.  

The aim of the second Transformation Experience Workshop to be held in Bratislava 01 October is to focus the discussions on those areas that have been identified as of specific relevance among the SP Core Objectives for experience sharing between CE and SEE such as Local Democracy and Cross-border cooperation, Energy, and Migration issues.  The meeting therefore includes all SEE recipient countries of the SP (5 Western Balkan, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania), in order to allow a direct exchange of views on 'supply' and 'demand' of expertise in specific areas between CE and SEE countries.

The aim is to further explore the possibilities of trilateral twinning processes between the more traditional donors, CE 'emerging donors' and SEE countries.  Still struggling with many of the challenges that economic reform and impending EU membership entail, the Central Europeans are uniquely placed to identify relevant and realistic solutions for the SEE countries.  Options for this partnership between CE and SEE should be explored as well as possibilities and needs for outside support for this partnership from more traditional donors.  At the same time, traditional donors to SEE should see the CE countries as repositories of vital and relevant experience and be willing to approach them as possible project or initiative implementers.  The Thessaloniki EU-Western Balkans Summit in June has taken important steps to open EU accession instruments to SEE particularly regarding technical assistance that should be made best use of.  Furthermore, the UNDP 'Emerging Donors Programme' has been supporting the CE countries in establishing foreign aid programmes.  Directing these CE foreign aid programmes towards SEE and making best use of newly opening up possibilities for the partnership between SEE and CE is the aim of this meeting.

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