Speeches

15 November 2006,  Bucharest (back to news list) Speech by Chair of Working Table III Janez Premoze at the Meeting of Working Table III The previous meeting of the Regional Table in Belgrade, in May this year, has set the objective of a phased evolution of the Stability Pact and its task forces/initiatives into a more regionally owned and streamlined regional cooperation framework: the Regional Cooperation Council. Today within Working Table III we will look at the progress that has been achieved so far in transferring the eight Working Table III initiatives into regional ownership and we will discuss the strategies to complete the transfer, and any remaining impediments (the most considerable ones being: funding, staffing and political support). Security Sector Reform, including security co-operation in the Western Balkans, is one of the five priority areas of the RCC agenda. It is up to the countries from SEE (and up to the SEECP) to maximise the potential of RACVIAC to serve as a platform for discussing politico-military affairs from an SEE regional perspective. RACVIAC’s future relevance will depend on its ability to achieve a high-level of professional competence and to produce practical results for its beneficiaries, thereby ensuring its credibility towards important international partners. SEESAC Project Phase 2 will be completed in December 2006. Stakeholders and UNDP have approved the project document for Phase 3 (2007 – 2008) and donor funding for 2007 has been pledged by the EU and UNDP. Discussions between SCSP, UNDP, EU and OSCE will be necessary to identify demand for SEESAC and to agree on its future strategy post December 2007, which will be dependent on the SALW situation within the region, national government needs and donor aspirations. I have registered much interest for enhanced cooperation with the regional frameworks dealing with security and defence issues outside the context of the Stability Pact, such as the SEDM process, SEEGROUP and SEEC. I believe it is important to deepen mutual cooperation and propose to explore in the coming year how the new RCC and SEDM, SEEGROUP and SEEC could most effectively cooperate. The Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative has decided to continue their main activity so far, the disaster management training program, into 2007-2008. For this but also for their other programs they are exploring how to increase program cooperation with the EU and other international partner organisations. But as from next year the DPPI member countries will have to provide financial resources as well to keep the initiative operational, as donor funding is diminishing. In that context the establishment of a proper legal and administrative basis is being considered. The Police Forum Initiative has progressed in the implementation of its projects, and further steps will be needed to support and strengthen SEPCA and the SECI Centre, so that both regional partners would be able to carry forward the Police Forum’s work and projects in the future. The SPOC Secretariat’s activities have been concentrated on the rapprochement with the SECI Centre approved by both Stability Pact and SECI Centre managements, envisaging the transformation of the SPOC Secretariat into a legal service provider for the SECI Centre, including efforts to develop a proper institutional structure and securing the necessary financial resources. More specifically, SPOC staff has been working on projects in the fields of Data Protection, Witness Protection, Financial Crimes, Stolen Vehicle Crime and Trafficking of Human Beings. For SPAI, important steps towards transfer of ownership and leadership were taken following the SPAI Steering Group meeting of May this year in Belgrade. Discussions have been initiated to endorse a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to the financial sustainability of the SPAI Regional office in Sarajevo. With the legal status of an international organisation, the Regional Centre of the Migration, Asylum and Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) has accomplished the first phase of its transition process. Stronger and more sustainable leadership from the countries involved in making the MARRI Centre a tool for the accomplishment of the EU acquis in the field of migration and related issues will however be vital in the near future. The Ministers of Interior of the Western Balkan countries have agreed to a one-year prolongation of the Ohrid Border Process, until the end of 2007. Apart from a manifestation of the usefulness of the Ohrid process, their decision highlights once again the need for the countries concerned to intensify their efforts in the implementation of their commitments. To make the transition into a success, the countries from SEE should ensure progress in three ways. First and foremost is, that each of these regional cooperative frameworks should be supported and actively encouraged by the political and higher executive levels concerned. This means that the experts involved should have an official mandate and the material backing from their superiors. Secondly, SEE countries need to increase their financial contributions to the budget of these initiatives, and, thirdly, they should second qualified and motivated staff to work within these initiatives. The continued involvement of our international partners is of paramount importance too, and, therefore, further consideration on how they can support these initiatives is needed.