Following a special invitation by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Sanader, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, attends the Meeting of Heads of State and Government of the South East European Co-operation Process (SEECP) on 10 and 11 May in Zagreb. The Republic of Croatia, which holds the current Chairmanship-in-Office of the SEECP, has also invited senior EU officials and heads of state and government of donor countries to the meeting. 

 

On Thursday evening, the Slovenian PM attends an official dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Sanader (Photo: Kristina Kosec/Bobo)

 

The meeting in Zagreb will approve a revised scheme of regional cooperation in South East Europe, which is the result of the states in the region having increased their influence on processes of Euro-Atlantic integration. Under the auspices of the SEECP, tasks which have hitherto been the domain of the Regional Table of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, will gradually be transferred to the newly-established Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Slovenia, which has been among the most active members of the Stability Pact, supports reform of regional cooperation, and has also announced that it will make a donation to the newly-established RCC.

 

Mr Janša's participation at the SEECP meeting in Zagreb is a confirmation of Slovenia's long-standing focus on the South East Europe, particularly in the light of its EU presidency in the first half of 2008, when Slovenia, in collaboration with the next SEECP presiding country, Bulgaria, intends to put due emphasis on the inauguration meeting of the Regional Council for Cooperation in February.