Annales III. [antikvár]

AGNIESZKA KLUCZNIK-TÖRŐ CSABA TÖRŐTHE RÉGIÓNÁL CO-OPERATION COUNCIL (RCC) AS AN INSTRUMENT OF STABILISATION IN SOUTH EAST EUROPEFROM STABILITY PACT TO RÉGIÓNÁL CO-OPERATION COUNCILThe earlier version of a régiónál initiative aimed at the group of states in the Western Balkans was conceived and set on course more than a decade ago. The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe was launched in 1999 as the first comprehensive conflict prevention structure aimed as the overarching component of stabilisation and as an instrument of the creation of conditions of peace, state consolidation and economic recovery in the region. The Stability Pact was designed to provide a framework for régiónál co-operation and expedite integration into European and Euró-Atlantic structures. Although an agreement by name ("Pact"), the initiative reached a certain level of institutionalisation with its secretariat in Brussels organ-ised into three units each dealing with major issue areas. These were called Work-ing Tables to indicate their functions as platforms for sustained discourse and co-ordination among the parties. Reflecting the major focal categories of shared con-cerns, Working Table I focused on democratisation and humán rights, Working Table II was devoted to economic reconstruction, co-operation and development matters, meanwhile Working Table III was charged with security issues.The role of the Pact changed over time. At the beginning it served mostly as a platform to channel funds for reconstruction and to co-ordinate donor activities with their main focus on the infrastructure of régiónál co-operation. Later it evolved into a fórum where diverse partners - countries from the region and international actors - could engage in multilateral contacts directly with one another to identify common problems and devise strategies to tackle them. Its broad mandate and strong international support enabled the Stability Pact to convince South Eastern European countries to embark on articulated régiónál co-operation programmes which brought about both practical benefits and deeper political understanding. As more and more progress was achieved on the ground over the years, the political, economic and social conditions of lasting pacification improved throughout