Paris, 14 June, 2005 – On Tuesday the WEU Assembly applauded the Balkan countries’ increasing involvement in interparliamentary cooperation, through regional assemblies such as the CEI (Central European Initiative), via the SEEPC (the South Eastern Europe Partnership Cooperation) or the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO).
 
In his report, submitted on behalf of the Committee for Parliamentary and Public Affairs, Milos Budin (Italy/Socialist Group) explained that following the resolution of the conflicts in the Balkans and the changes that ensued, interparliamentary organisations were often at the forefront of the dialogue leading to the laying of the foundations for a common area of stability. According to the Rapporteur, this form of parliamentary diplomacy encourages rapprochement and regional integration and helps speed up democratisation.

Mr Budin also raised the matter of the future of such interparliamentary bodies given the division of the Balkans into two groups of countries: those which had become EU members or would soon do so and those that could remain outside the enlargement process for some time to come. Would there, he asked be a falling off of interest in regional cooperation? He himself felt that the WEU Assembly should continue the bridging role it had played throughout its history for many countries before they became integrated into Europe.