SEE Prime Ministers and the SRSG on behalf of the UN Administration Mission in Kosovo have agreed to proceed with the recommendation of the SP Trade Working Group to create a single Free Trade Area in the region through the simultaneous enlargement and amendment of CEFTA. The Prime Ministers issued a Joint Declaration on Thursday 6 April at an SEE Summit in Bucharest organised by the Romanian Government and the Stability Pact. The attendance of Wolfgang Schussel, Federal Chancellor of Austria and current President of the European Council along with Commissioners Olli Rehn (enlargement) and Peter Manderlson (trade) demonstrated the high level support for this initiative within the EU.
Bucharest - The Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Erhard Busek challenged the countries of SEE to achieve a modern, ambitious and inclusive agreement to create a Regional Free Trade Area in South Eastern Europe
Speaking at the South Eastern Europe Summit in Bucharest where negotiations on the creation of a single free trade area in South Eastern Europe were launched at the highest political level, Busek said: "Today's Summit is an excellent demonstration of political willingness of all to move forward together both economically and politically. This is good but I would like to emphasise that, as they say in English, the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. We have the ingredients, we have the recipe - can we produce a tasty and nutritious free trade cake to the benefit of all!"
Hosted by Romanian Prime Minister Tariceanu (current Chair of CEFTA) and co-organized by the Stability Pact, the summit was attended by all Prime Ministers of South Eastern Europe, the President of the European Council, Chancellor Schüssel of Austria, EU Commissioners Rehn and Mandelson, as well as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo Jessen-Petersen. The summit adopted a declaration, which commits all countries and territories to the creation of a single free trade area in South Eastern Europe by means of enlarging and modernising the current CEFTA agreement. The new agreement will include modern trade policy provisions on competition rules and state aid, government procurement and protection of intellectual property. All SEE countries and territories have agreed to initiate formal negotiations by 31 May 2006 under the auspices of the Stability Pact and to conclude them at the latest by 31 December 2006.
In his speech, the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe urged the countries of South Eastern Europe to move quickly to modernise and enlarge CEFTA. "It is in your interest to simplify the existing 31 rules of free trade in the region as quickly as possible as the results of this simplification, a single free trade agreement, will be in your own interest."
For further information, please contact Stability Pact's Spokesperson
Mr Dragan Barbutovski at the SP Secretariat in Brussels
(Tel: +32 2 401 87 25 or press@stabilitypact.org).
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PR2006/005
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