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What are the current major obstacles for better regional cooperation and what steps have to be taken in order to improve global relations for the mutual benefit of the West Balkan countries? HE, Mr. Dimosthenisa Stoidisa, Greek Ambassador to Serbia ESSENTIAL COOPERATION Mutual understanding and acceleration of the pace of reforms are indicative ways of proceeding towards attainment of the objective of joining the EU. Regional cooperation is a very essential element in the process of the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. In that respect, good neighborly relations, peaceful resolution of outstanding issues through mutually acceptable solutions, economic development, social consciousness of sharing a common future with all other peoples in the region in a reconciled environment, are prerequisites for effective and operable cooperation. Active and constructive participation in regional initiatives i.e. CEFTA, SEECP, R.C.C, SEDM, involvement of NGOs, civil society, think-tanks in enriching the communication and mutual understanding process along with the acceleration of the pace of reforms, are indicative ways of proceeding towards the attainment of the objective of joining the EU family. Obviously, the EU and the members states must remain committed to lending their multifaceted support to the countries that deserve to be evaluated according to their individual performance. H. E. Mr. Imre Varga, Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia FLEXIBILITY AND CREATIVITY REQUIRED Regional cooperation is the interest of the Union. The Union is ready to facilitate, mediate and if necessary, finance efforts put in finding compromises. The enlargement policy of the European Union has the aim, among others, of strengthening the stability and prosperity of the whole continent. The EU would not like to import additional problems. Therefore, it is the essential task of the countries that desire to be part of the Union to settle their relations with their neighbors. This was the case of the countries involved in the 5th enlargement circle. Accession is a possibility, but application is always a voluntary decision. In the ex-Yugoslav area, it means that the conflicts of the past 20 years has to be terminated, that “the hatchet has to be buried,” and that finding the solution for open issues is a task of all parties involved. There are plenty of open issues, but the regional frameworks exist (CEFTA, RCC etc.), and these frameworks provide appropriate conditions for communication as well. In the course of looking for solutions, one has to be flexible and creative, because there are no standards set in advance. The EU offers no answers. It has no specified models or scripts (actually, there are several well-functioning models in Europe), but it could provide its experience in solving similar problems and principles on which the Union’s internal cooperation lies, like dialogue, mutual confidence, trying to reach a consensus, and so on. Regional cooperation is the interest of the Union. The Union is ready to facilitate, mediate, and if necessary, finance efforts put in finding the compromises. Being a neighboring country, Hungary is more than interested in regional stability and prosperity. As we see the role of Hungary, it is to assist the countries in the region to find solutions and if needed, to serve as a mediator between them. Unsolved questions must be put on the agenda, and Budapest is ready to contribute to finding appropriate solutions in a bona fide dialogue on open issues. HE Mr. Iou Macovei, Rumanian Ambassador to Serbia EASY QUESTION, DIFFICULT ANSWER! For Romania, the road towards the EU was one of the national objectives laid down in the beginning of the nineties and constantly had the support of the entire political class, government, or opposition. I would begin by saying that the questions are not difficult by themselves, but the answers might be complex and, I would add, they are different on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the region. I would focus on the Romanian experience and on the long process of integration. It required a lot of energy and effort, political will, and internal consensus on national objectives and, most of all, involvement in articulating mechanisms of regional cooperation, one of the essential criteria benchmarking the successive stages towards EU membership. First of all, it is necessary to try to define the concept of “regional cooperation,” starting with the European example. There are two levels, which are strongly connected: The first is the common spiritual heritage, value system, and their hierarchy. By engaging with this system, we find again the availability to communicate, to identify resources to harmonize different approaches, and to shape a common vision of the future. The second level is related to pragmatism, to daily life, to satisfying all the criteria generating prosperous economies and as a result, high living conditions for the citizens. Here we can talk about infrastructure, exploitation of common assets (EU Strategy or the Danube), harmonizing the legal framework that could support investments with the aim of generating mutual development for each country and for the region as a whole, and substantiating regional cooperation mechanisms focused on generous and efficient projects. Against this background, we recall the RCC and SEECP, as well as the CEFTA Agreement, relevant structures in the Western Balkans and among partners in the region. Dialogue facilitates devising the first level and consequently the passage towards the second one. It is a difficult and long process, which favors integration within a common space, shaped by the same values, the same visions, and ultimately, by the same future. Europe has built itself and has reinvented itself through dialogue. Romania, like all states in Central and Eastern Europe, has worked individually as well as cooperatively in order to rejoin a space where they have always belonged, with the exception, I would say, of a history gap. The benefits stem from the political level (participation in the European decision-making process), economic level (guarantee of a favourable environment for investments), and social level (free movement of people and of labour force; the right of children and students to study abroad under extremely favourable conditions). These represent only a few concrete examples. In a wider perspective, these benefits are measurable through stability, predictability, certitude, and the guarantee of a safe future. This experience of adjusting to the processes within the EU had a solid foundation and beginning, meaning cooperation at the regional level. Without this exercise, cooperation at the extended level,within the Union, is much more difficult. It is also true that throughout this process a concrete European perspective stands for a necessary incentive. From this point of view, 2009 certainly represented an extremely important year in the region’s road towards the EU (visa liberalisation regime for certain countries, unfreezing of the Interim Agreement for Serbia). But it was aconsequence of the substantial progress of the countries in the region as well as of the European perspective, from which the Western Balkans region should be perceived. H.E. Mr. Georgi Dimitrov, Bulagrian Ambassador to Serbia RELY ON THE THESSAALONIKI AGENDA Bulgaria stands firmly behind the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkan states as a foundation for settling longterm security, economic prosperity, and good neighborlyrelations in the region.I wouldn’t say that there are significant obstacles to the development of regional cooperation at the moment. We have witnessed different approaches based on dialogue and balanced positions that have helped overcome certain issues and open questions. A noticeable increase of interest for new forms of cooperation was developed recently, which is in the core of the basic idea of general improvement and support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans. As you know, Bulgaria stands firmly behind the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkan states as a foundation for settling long-term security, economic prosperity, and good neighborly relations in the region. We believe that the integration process of the Western Balkans to the EU should be realized according to the Thessaloniki Agenda. It’s necessary to find mechanisms for the achievement of its goals, including significant regional infrastructure projects, as a keynote for stability and prosperity of the region. The Thessaloniki Agenda recommends that the Western Balkan countries work on progressing in the areas of education, social development, and culture, including the initiative for objective review of history schoolbooks, as a way to pave the path to tolerance and a modern democratic society. I’d like to point out good neighborly relations as a fundamental precondition for regional cooperation development, including through all forms of bilateral and multilateral collaboration among states, and sharing responsibilities instead of simultaneously covering identical tasks. With a great deal of certainty one could say that the priority of the Serbian government referring to the construction of the Road and Railway Transportation Corridor No. 10 and its branches will contribute to the development of cooperation and economic relations in the region. Similar is the perspective for the countries in the region participating in the Pan-European energy projects. Bulgaria is very much confident and highly supportive of the European future of the Western Balkans countries. This position is based on our belief that security, stability, and prosperity in the region can be achieved only in terms of shared values. In regard to the process of preparation for membership of these states, I’m positive that,democratic reforms in them will be deepened and standards of good neighborly relations will be covered.
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Each country has its own historical, religious, national, and other distinctions, but it seems irrational that these countries cannot share a common interest on the path to EU accession, whether on bilateral or multilateral bases. Let’s not forget that joining the EU entails exactly the values that the regional countries seem to refuse to accept: understanding, being considerate about individual and above all mutually beneficial interests, cohabitation, joint projects, assisting each other, and cooperation in almost all important areas of life.