The 7th Conference of Parliamentary Committees on European Integration of the South-Eastern States participating in the Stabilization and Association Process held

 
The 7th conference of Parliamentary Committees on European Integration of States participating in the Stabilization and Association Process of South-Eastern Europe (COSAP), was held today in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the beginning, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in BiH, Mirko Sarovic, and the Head of Staff of the Regional Co-operation Council (RCC) Secretariat, Jovan Tegovski, addressed those present, the former in the name of the Council of Ministers in BiH, and the latter in name of the Secretary General of the RCC. The participants exchanged opinions on the topic “The Resolution of the European Parliament on Enlargement: Strategic interests of EU enlargement and the role of the Committees on European Integration in the fulfilment of the criteria for European integration”, moderated by Halid Genjac, the Chairman of the Joint Committee on European Integration of the BiH PA, with Jelko Kacin, the Vice-Chair of the Delegation of the European Parliament for relations with Albania, BiH, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo, as the guest speaker.

The topic “IPA II- the new concept of pre-accession assistance: What is new in the pre-accession assistance instrument, and how can the Committee on European Integration contribute to the preparation of states for IPA II”, again moderated by Mr Halid Genjac, and with Orlando Fusco, Head of the Department for Relations with the Parliament, Government, and Political Parties of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, as the guest spokesperson.

The topic “Transformational power of the European integration process- positive experiences and their applicability in regional countries”, was also discussed by the guest speaker Neven Mimica, the Republic of Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister for Home, Foreign and European Affairs, and moderated by the Chairman of the Committee on European Issues of the Republic of Macedonia, Hajrula Misini.

Representatives of the Committees on European Integration from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, as well as guests and Representatives of the Committees from Turkey and Kosovo, participated in the 7th Conference.

Also present were representatives of the Delegation of the European Parliament for relations with Albania, BiH, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, the Regional Co-operation Council, the German Bundestag, the European Parliament, the Directorate for European Integration in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the end of the conference, it was proposed that for the next conference, the COSAP member states express their views on whether Kosovo and Turkey should become full member states of the COSAP.
The adopted joint declaration with its contents can be read here. (end)