General policy debate on the situation in the Balkans
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 3 October 2006 (26th Sitting) (see Doc. 11050, report of the Political Affairs Committee, rapporteur: Mr Eörsi ). Text adopted by the Assembly on 3 October 2006 (26thSitting).
- Thesaurus
2. The year 2006 is crucial for the entire region of the Western Balkans,
that is Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia (including Kosovo)
and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. This region is witnessing
significant developments, not least of which the recent independence of
Montenegro and the beginning of the status talks on Kosovo.
3. The
Parliamentary Assembly trusts that these developments will contribute to
further stabilisation, democratic progress and prosperity in the countries of
the Western Balkans.
4. While peace has been maintained in the region
for seven years now, thanks to the presence of thousands of foreign troops,
much remains to be done in a number of fields in order to pave the way for the
further European integration of the countries of the region.
5. The
Assembly believes that, while the Western Balkan countries still have to
address a significant number of shortcomings, it is also the duty of the
international community, especially the Council of Europe and the European
Union, to actively support these countries by recognising the progress achieved
so far and their continued efforts for improvement.
6. Western Balkan
countries have been criticised repeatedly as far as their democratic
development is concerned, but the international community should assume its
share of responsibility for lack of democratic development in the region.
European institutions in particular should recognise that the Western Balkans
is a key region for the whole continent and resolutely invest themselves in
supporting democratic progress in the region by offering the countries of the
region clearer perspectives for European and European Union integration.
7. The Assembly is concerned that if stronger interest is not shown by
Europe in the Western Balkan region, there is a danger that the feeling of
marginalisation will continue to grow, leading to undesirable
consequences.
8. The Assembly is fully aware that each country of the
region has its own specificities which justify a targeted approach to each of
them. However, it also believes that it is of paramount importance to initiate
a platform for dialogue on the situation of the countries in the Western
Balkans as a whole and wishes to initiate the first steps towards more regular
discussions on the future of this region.
9. The Assembly believes
that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is
essential for establishing justice in all countries comprising the former
Yugoslavia and in helping to deal with the past and thus pave the way for
future reconciliation among the people of the region and between neighbouring
states. It is therefore crucial for the relevant Western Balkan countries to
co-operate fully with the ICTY, notably in the cases of Ratko Mladic and
Radovan Karadzic. It considers it to be of the utmost importance that the ICTY
conclude the examination of the ongoing cases in a reasonable time frame,
allowing the families of the victims to come to terms with their past, while at
the same time avoiding violations of the basic human rights of the accused,
including the right to trial within a reasonable time.
10. In light of
the above, the Assembly resolves to continue to follow closely the situation in
the countries of the Western Balkans and report on it as and when
appropriate.
11. The Assembly resolves to step up its parliamentary
assistance programme with Montenegro and Serbia and extend it to other
countries of the region.
12. The Assembly invites its relevant
committees to promote regional parliamentary co-operation in their respective
fields of competence by organising meetings, conferences and seminars jointly
with national parliaments.
13. The Assembly calls on the international
community, in particular the European Union, to:
13.1 define more clearly their strategy towards the countries of the
Western Balkans;
13.2 offer better incentives and perspectives
to the region;
13.3 recognise the efforts and achievements made
so far by the countries of the region in their effort to establish democracy,
the rule of law, the respect for human rights and good governance, as well as
in their fight against corruption, organised crime and trafficking;
13.4 take more account of the domestic political challenges the countries
in the region are facing;
13.5 increase their support to
institution building in the region through improved co-operation and support
for Council of Europe programmes, namely in the field of the judiciary and law
enforcement, in order to establish the rule of law, secure respect for human
and minority rights and fight corruption and other forms of organised
crime.
14. Furthermore, the Assembly especially calls
on the European Union to:
14.1 liberalise its visa regime with
respect to Western Balkan countries by bringing in zero-cost visas and
initially allowing their citizens to travel to the 10 new European Union member
states, while welcoming at the same time the European Council conclusions of 15
and 16 June 2006, to the effect that negotiation mandates for visa facilitation
and readmission agreements will be adopted as soon as possible;
14.2 encourage university exchanges and favour accession to the Bologna
Process for all Western Balkan countries;
14.3 increase
political co-operation to bring the Western Balkan region together;
14.4 prolong the presence of high European Union representatives in the
region;
14.5 take the opportunity of the handover of the
international presence from the United Nations Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo (UNMIK) to the European Union in Kosovo to demonstrate the European
Union’s commitment to the region;
14.6 following the decisions
of the European Council of Thessaloníki, offer a clear perspective of European
Union integration to Western Balkan countries by putting forward realistic
strategies for enlargement, thus gaining legitimacy in the region by
integrating those countries into the European Union process;
14.7 set a clear road map for European Union
integration.
15. The Assembly calls on the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to invite, as a matter of urgency, the
Western Balkan countries not yet part of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) to
join it at the earliest opportunity to ensure security in the region.
16. The Assembly calls on the countries of the Western Balkan region to:
16.1 pursue their efforts to comply with all the
obligations and commitments set out by the Council of Europe for its member
states in terms of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and
pursue the full implementation of the Standards for Kosovo;
16.2 endeavour to create all the preconditions conducive to the signature
of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union in the
nearest possible future for the countries which have not yet entered into such
an agreement;
16.3 prove the credibility of their endeavour to
condemn war crimes and provide tangible proof of their co-operation with the
ICTY;
16.4 focus on regional and local co-operation, as set out
in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, by enhancing existing regional
initiatives and partnerships and extending them to all countries neighbouring
the Western Balkan countries;
16.5 increase regional
parliamentary co-operation;
16.6 address with the greatest
attention the issue of internally displaced persons and refugees;
16.7 ensure full protection for minorities living or returning to their
territory;
16.8 combat organised crime and illegal immigration
into other countries of Europe;
16.9 join the Central European
Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), if they have not yet done so, in order to start
economic co-operation among themselves.
17. Finally,
the Assembly invites its Political Affairs Committee to follow the situation
and report on it when
necessary.
