EUROPEAN UNION TO INVEST 3.5 BILLION EUROS IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE BY 2011

DUBROVNIK, Croatia (November 24,2007) – The European Union will allocate 3.5 billion Euros as admission support to the states of the Southeastern Europe until 2011 in order to support their mutual cooperation and access to EU, declared an EC official at the Regional Forum in Dubrovnik,Croatia.

“European Commission (EC) is here to encourage the region to remain on the road of Euro-integrations”, said the deputy manager of the Direction of European Commission for Enlargement, Jan Truszczynski, at the Regional Economic Forum of Southeast Europe.

“There is no guarantee that matters in the region will go on better than before. But it is certain that it is a political priority of EU and EC”, he said.

At the Forum which was held for the fourth time, about 160 politicians are taking part, business people, and scientists from eight states of the region, over the 2 days discussed economic cooperation and adoption of standards for access to EU.

The participants of the Forum,held in Palace Hotel in Dubrovnik, were joined by presidents of Croatia, Stjepan Mesić; Albania, Barmi Topi, Montenegro, Filip Vujanović; Macedonia, Branko Crvenkovski; and the Bosnian President, Željko Komšić.

Bulgaria was represented by the Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Petar Dimitrov, and Romania by adviser of Romani's Prime Minister, Constantin Ciupage.

President of the Regional Economic Forum, Bogić Bogićević, expressed his hope that heads of the states, businessmen, and scientists will bring closer their stands on adoption of European standards at the Forum, envisaged as a non-institutional framework for exchange of ideas, which could contribute to speeding up of integration of the Southeastern Europe into the European Union.

“The states of the region have no alternative, therefore we say with good reason that EU is our common home”, said Bogićević.