Budva - SEE Ministers responsible for employment, labour market and social policies met today in Budva under the auspices of the Stability Pact's Initiative for Social Cohesion to agree on future regional co-operation in these important spheres.

This is the third such meeting since the launch of the so-called Bucharest Co-operation Process on Employment in SEE in 2003 and the participants welcomed the progress made to date in designing and implementing modern employment policies throughout the region.

Among the Conclusions adopted by the Ministers today were specific objectives for long-term regional co-operation in the area of employment and social policy, including occupational safety and health and better social dialogue. They called on the Stability Pact's successor organisation, the Regional Co-operation Council to fully integrate employment and social policies among its strategic priorities and work programme and to support future work on employment and social policies in the region.

Speaking at the meeting, the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Erhard Busek emphasised that “in order for the good economic results in SEE to impact on the daily lives of the citizens in SEE, economic and social development must go hand in hand”. He advocated building stronger social partnerships, which “provide a consistent policy framework and a focus on competitiveness and also build the necessary consensus among government, social partners and the private sector”.

The EC Commissioner on Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Mr. Vladimir Spidla, who also addressed the meeting, said that “good social policy underpins the success of all other policies and this is even more important in transition economies, such as those of South East Europe”. He stressed that social policy must deliver tangible results to all.   This will require the development of administrative capacities in this area and in this respect, regional co-operation can be a powerful tool for the all the stakeholders in the region.

The Bucharest Co-operation Process on Employment has been implemented with the support of the International Labour Organization, the Council of Europe and the Belgian Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue.

For further information, please contact the Stability Pact's Spokesperson
Mr Georgi Gotev at the SP Secretariat in Brussels
(Tel: +32 2 401 87 25 or  press@stabilitypact.org).
________________

PR2007/023