ROUNDTABLE "REGIONAL COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPEMNT AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION" HELD IN SARAJEVO

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 26,2007) – Cooperation between countries in the region is necessary not only for their European perspective, but also for the creation of lasting peace and stability and achieving economic progress in this part on Europe, was stated at a roundtable titled “Regional Cooperation for Development and European Integration” in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

The Bosnian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights organised this meeting in order present regional cooperation and coordination on the implementation of reforms and European integration processes in the entire region.

Committee President Srdan Dizdarevic reminded that regional cooperation is a precondition for the process of association of countries from the region to Euro-Atlantic structures, but that it also has a direct impact on economic development and progress of all countries.

Dizdarevic stressed that through regional cooperation the EU wishes to see countries demonstrate the ability for cooperation with others and build relations the EU wishes to see between its future members.

Bosnia's Chief Negotiator for the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union Igor Davidovic, speaking about the impasse in European integration of our country caused by the failure of police reform, said that this reform is a process that will continue to unfold.

He thinks that police reform in Bosnia needs to be implemented as part f a procedure that will provide enough time and an adequate technocal or institutional framework for the agreement to be achieved.

Davidovic said that participants in the process of police reform were forced on several occasions to reach an agreement in a short period of time and under massive challenges and threats.

He thinks that this is also one of the reasons why all participants in police reform were unable to achieve a concentrated and broad effort towards a compromise.

Davidovic said that not a single part of the region has a perspective outside the EU, primarily due to economic, but also social, political and other reasons.

Participants in the meeting discussed achievements in regional cooperation and European integration and identify remaining obligations in these processes.

They also discussed cooperation on preserving the environment, in the energy sector, parliamentary cooperation and a number of other regional initiatives.

The “Regional Cooperation for Development and European Integration” Brochure was also presented at this roundtable.

The roundtable has been organised in cooperation with the Kosovo Institute for Political Research and Development, the Centre for Institutional Development from Skoplje, the Albanian Institute for International Studies, the Institute for International Relations from Zagreb,the European Movement and Montenegro and the European Movement in Serbia.