Dear Prime Ministers,
Dear Director General of the CEI- Executive Secretariat,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a particular honour for me to be today with you at this Summit of the Central European Initiative in Sofia and to exchange views with you on the importance of regional co-operation, a topic which has been the core business of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe since its launch in 1999.

Individual countries and South Eastern Europe as a whole still face a number of complex challenges today, starting with the issue of defining the future status of Kosovo, but the region is today indisputably a more stable, economically viable and secure region. General progress in democratic standards, macroeconomic stability and improvement of security environment has taken place.

Substantial work has been accomplished under the several thematic areas the Stability Pact is dealing with, from parliamentary co-operation, to trade liberalisation and promotion of investments, electronic government, the fight against crime and corruption, and the prevention of natural and man-made disasters.

Let me give you just a few concrete examples of ongoing co-operation where some landmark achievements have been reached.

Being in Sofia I think immediately of the Focal Point on Parliamentary Co-operation which has been established by the SEE countries of the region and is hosted by the National Assembly of Bulgaria. This Focal Point will facilitate networking and information exchange between parliaments of the region. It is intended to enhance their co-operation at different levels, and help improve the lawmaking process throughout the region and the ability of parliaments to oversee their governments’ activities. As politicians you know that this is a pillar of modern democracy.                                                       

As for the economic dimension of the regional Co-operation, I would like to point out the new Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, which has been ratified by and entered into force in all parties. Prime Ministers, Ministers and high level representatives gathered in a CEFTA Summit on 21 November in Skopje to celebrate the rapid ratification and entry into force of the Agreement, which now covers all the region. On that occasion, the parties solemnly committed to a smooth and full implementation of the agreement.

Another important component I would like to mention is the improvement of the investment climate in each country of the region. This is the purpose of the recently launched SEE investment Committee: it develops policy guidelines and implements reforms in the field of investments. Complementing these efforts is the encouraging ongoing work in the information and technology area, which is important for the development of the knowledge economy of the future.

Last but not least, let me mention another important initiative, the Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative for South East Europe, called DPPI SEE.   Devastating forest fires this summer, the extensive floods the Danube and its tributary rivers caused in recent years, or the region’s vulnerability to earthquakes highlight the need for a co-ordinated regional approach also in this field. On September 24 of this year SEE countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Institutional framework, which will further enhance regional co-operation and regional consultation in the field of disaster management.  I am happy to inform you that, together with the Bulgarian SEECP Chairmanship in Office, we are working on a high level meeting on these issues, to be held here in Sofia next spring. This meeting will provide the opportunity to make further concrete progress in the field of disaster prevention and preparedness.

The upcoming final meeting of the Stability Pact Working Tables, which will take place in Tirana on the 3rd and 4^th of December, will provide the occasion to assess progress in all different activities and initiatives operating under the framework of the Pact, as well as to identify lessons learnt and address future challenges.

As you see, regional co-operation in SEE has gained energy as well as substance over the last years. It shows that the region is now ready to take matters into its own hands. This has been the guiding principle of the transformation of the Stability Pact for South Easter Europe into a regionally-owned and regionally led framework, the Regional Co-operation Council, which will hold its first official meeting at the Regional Table Meeting in Sofia on the 27th February 2008. I am convinced, that the regional co-operation will further enhance under the umbrella of the RCC.

Before I pass the floor to the Secretary General of the RCC, Mr. Biscevic, I would like to thank the CEI and its Secretariat for the very good co-operation we had during all the past years. I would be very happy if you could assure to the RCC and its Secretary General the same good support as you have given me and my collaborators during all the time of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

Thank you for your attention.