Opening remarks by Dr. Busek,SP Special Coordinator

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

First of all let me thank our Slovenian hosts and WT III colleagues for organising this seminar. Indeed, we are now entering an important period of time during which we have to jointly ‘materialise’ the key decisions taken last month, in Zagreb, during the Regional Table meeting, regarding the establishment of the RCC and closer cooperation between SP and SEECP. These decisions, in particular on the selection of Sarajevo as the seat of the Secretariat of the RCC and the appointment of Hido Biscevic as the first Secretary General, together with the decision on the Statute of the RCC, clearly outline the future architecture of regional cooperation in South Eastern Europe and once again prove the increasing ownership that the countries of the region are taking. Now the reins of regional co-operation are firmly in their hands.

First of all, allow me to make some general remarks. The above-mentioned decisions are a clear demonstration of a new constructive and responsible atmosphere in the region and we should do our best to keep this momentum.

The challenges ahead of us in the coming months – the preparation of the Stability Pact final handover; ensuring the sustainability of cooperation processes in the agreed priority areas as well as the construction of the RCC – will require all our efforts. Since we have a clear institutional framework for regional cooperation, we should now concentrate on the implementation of the Zagreb decisions…and this is also fully relevant for those parts of the WT III agenda which are to be continued as RCC activities. However, this will not be possible without continuing the excellent cooperation with the European Commission, the EU Council Secretariat, NATO and the – currently Bulgarian - SEECP Chairmanship, or without the continued support of our other international partners. From this point of view, I see today’s seminar as a timely and useful exercise.

The regional ownership we seek at the level of the RCC is also required in the different thematic regional cooperation processes. The agreed priority areas for regional cooperation are, of course, the region’s priorities, and this is why they require stronger political and financial commitments, as well as human resources from the region, if the region wants to see further positive results achieved. As far as the broader security field is concerned, future regional cooperation in this field under the RCC umbrella will be based on two key components. First of all, it will be developed on the basis of existing WT III initiatives and Task Forces. Secondly, it will stem from two priority areas of the future RCC activities as defined last year by the Senior Review Group, i.e. Justice and Home Affairs and Security Cooperation. In this context, let me invite you to have a closer look today at the content of the above-mentioned priority areas.

From my point of view, we are talking here about extremely important issues since it is more than evident that there will be no economic and social prosperity and stability for SEE without security both at the internal and regional level, although I am fully aware that South Eastern Europe is a different region today than it was during the last decades.

This is also fully valid for the areas covered by WT III. In this context, let me for example highlight again RACVIAC, the Regional Arms Control Verification and Implementation Assistance Centre. Only a few years after the wars, military personnel from armies which had fought against each other, came together for training, exchange of information and essentially confidence building. This was possible because there was a neutral umbrella – the Stability Pact – and a common goal and interest. RACVIAC is now moving towards a new phase of its existence, i.e. promoting regional cooperation on specific areas of Defence and Security Sector Reform. Similar words could be said about the efforts of the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Initiative (DPPI).

A joint regional approach to these issues could certainly help the countries in the region that are seeking their full integration to the European and Trans-Atlantic structures to reach this goal. Moreover, Defence and Security Sector Reform in SEE, and in particular in the countries of the Western Balkans are, for sure, in the centre of interests of both the EU and NATO. Since we are talking about a common regional approach to the new risk and challenges in the area of defence and security, let me also underline the importance of establishing an efficient and effective partnership between the RCC and other regional organisations and structures, which operate in the same areas. In particular, I would like to mention four of them: SEDM (South Eastern European Defence Ministerial Process), SEEGROUP (as a part of the SEE Initiative within NATO), the US – Adriatic Charter and SEEC (SEE Clearinghouse).

On the other hand, I wish to invite NATO and the EU to use actively the instruments that we have developed. A very good example in this regard is the Belgrade-based South East and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), which is a joint SP – UNDP initiative. The implementation of the EU Western Balkans SALW Control Support Plan for 2007 is indeed the key part SEESAC’s activities.

Let’s focus now on another two most important subjects: judiciary reforms and fighting corruption. Addressing these issues more effectively is indeed indispensable for moving the countries of SEE closer to the EU. Judiciary reform and anti-corruption measures are also part of the fight against international organised crime, a major problem with global dimensions. To tackle these problems successfully, international cooperation, cooperation between European partners, and also regional cooperation between Ministries of Justice and Home Affairs in South Eastern Europe is required. Existing initiatives in this area, i.e. SPOC, SPAI, SEPCA, SECI Centre, Bled Process (on stolen vehicles) are the main instruments in combating the international organised crime networks operating in SEE. The RCC should build on these past and present efforts to intensify practical cooperation within the SEE region and with European and international partners such as EUROPOL, INTERPOL and also with the EU Chiefs of Police Task Force.

The Migration, Asylum and Refugee Regional Initiative (MARRI) is also an excellent example of a structure that was created by the Stability Pact and which has succeeded through time to become a regionally owned institution with a proper status and recognised by international partners as useful in addressing migration related issues from a regional perspective. However, once again, assets will have to be consolidated in the future and cooperation with the RCC will be needed. While the Member States will take even more responsibility in the running of the MARRI Centre, political and financial support from the international partners will also have to be further ensured, in order to make MARRI a solid and trustworthy partner for the European Commission and other international institutions.

Border management is another topic, which Working Table III has been dealing with in the last years. The Ohrid Border Process is recognised as a successful platform for cooperation and coordination, but the transformation of the Stability Pact into the RCC should not mean that the results gained by the parties of this process should be forgotten. More attention will be needed to reinforce border management systems in the SEE region, as a prerequisite for EU integration.

Thank you for your attention and I wish you to have a fruitful and constructive discussion.