The Pan-European Perspective for the Economic Integration of South-East Europe: the Role of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Goran Svilanović to present new report on the future of economic cooperation in South-East Europe
4 p.m. Tuesday, 26 February – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia
Geneva, 22 February 2008 -- Have we reached the end of partition and transition in the Balkans? Have the Balkans already embarked on the promised road to regional cooperation, integration and full European Union enlargement? What is the role of the United Nations in the new situation in the region? These and other related questions will be addressed during a presentation and discussion on 26 February 2008, at the premises of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia.
Goran Svilanović, former Foreign Minister of Serbia and Montenegro and Chair of Working Table I of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, will deliver a presentation followed by a high-level discussion on his new report on the economic integration of South-East Europe and the role of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), a pan-European organization whose membership spans Europe, the former Soviet Union and North America.
The event is being organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNECE. Participants in the discussion will include the former Prime Minister of Poland and current head of UNECE, Marek Belka; Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin; and Bulgarian political analyst Ivan Krastev.
The event is being held on the eve of the final meeting of the Stability Pact and the establishment of the Regional Cooperation Council, a regionally owned organization with its secretariat in Sarajevo. Mr. Svilanović’s report also proposes an action plan for cooperation between UNECE and the Council.
Mr. Svilanović is convinced of the great potential of the Balkans. A communication, transportation and energy hub, bordering the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, it is a gateway to the Russian Federation, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East, regions that are growing in geopolitical importance.
Now Europe’s most dynamic subregion, in 2007 it boasted 5.7% growth in real gross domestic product, compared to the EU average of just 2.9%. In the same year its net foreign direct investment inflows for the first time exceeded those to Central Europe and the Baltic States. Nevertheless, fast economic growth implies certain risks. Strong domestic demand leads to wider external imbalances and vulnerability to economic shocks, for example due to the fragile housing market. Rising unit labour costs and fiscal loosening in 2007 have created risks of inflation and falling international competitiveness. Political risks to the internal and regional stability have also not dissipated.
Mr. Svilanović stresses that the United Nations has a role to play in building the economic prerequisites for lasting peace in South-East Europe. He recommends that the EU should rely on the United Nations for the stabilization, regional cooperation and integration of South-East Europe. Further, he suggests areas and mechanisms for enhanced cooperation between the Regional Cooperation Council and UNECE. With a new constellation of powers in the pan-European space, UNECE as a politically neutral expert organization that sets norms, standards and recommendations to promote cooperation can offer valuable and concrete help to the South-East European countries. He recommends that UNECE explore possibilities for continuous support in trade, transit and border-crossing facilitation, e-business, energy security, environmental protection, sustainable development of the timber sector, and public-private partnerships. It was UNECE that provided the expertise for the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative after the Dayton Accords in 1995.
For more information:
Mario Apostolov, Regional Adviser
UNECE Trade Division
Palais des Nations, Room 437
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)22 9171134
Fax: +41 (0)22 9170037
E-mail: [email protected]
Ref: ECE/TRADE/08/P01