Background

There is an increased understanding among Western Balkan countries that regional cooperation is indispensable to regional stability and the process of EU and North-Atlantic integration. The Dayton process, the future status of Kosovo, the development of the union state of Serbia and Montenegro demand constant international attention to the region.

This program will enable the EWPPP and the partner organisations to concentrate their efforts on contributing to the process of democratic reform in the target countries of the Western Balkans. In view of inter-ethnic tensions, it is very significant that MPs from post-conflict societies which appear to have irreconcilable differences and tensions discuss and develop together common strategies and approaches to both domestic and regional problems. These discussions will reinforce the conviction that regardless of their differences, MPs have a common duty to establish contemporary legislatures and increase the authority of the parliament in monitoring the government. The participation of civil society representatives in these discussions will increase parliament’s transparency. The EWPPP is determined to focus further on regional thematic exchanges. The fact that some countries within the region are further along in the EU integration process does not diminish the importance of regional cooperation and the exchange of experience.

In many of the parliaments of Southeastern Europe there still exists a huge gap between politics and citizens. In parliaments where a degree of trust does exist, effective communication and cooperation is generally weak. At the same time, MPs from the entire region complain about understaffing, political pressure and the daunting task of having to pass an inordinate amount of legislation in too little time. Elected representatives still need to be actively encouraged to reach out to civil society for support in both their parliamentary missions of developing effective legislation and of communicating the results to the public. At another level, major problems in the functioning of political parties have impeded the democratisation process. In many of the countries targeted for this project, change in the party leadership has resulted in national crisis. Democratisation of political parties will contribute to the consolidation of good legislative practices, and will ensure that the party does not own the political mandate of the MP.

Following Croatia’s application for EU membership and the decision of the European Council to start accession negotiations, the region of the Balkans is shrinking further, leaving Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo behind. As the European Council emphasises through the Presidency Recommendations on 17-18 June 2004, Croatia’s achievement of candidate status should be an encouragement to the other countries of the Western Balkans. The advance of the individual countries of the region towards European integration will proceed in parallel with the regional approach, which will remain an essential element of the EU policy. Attempts on the part of individual countries to accelerate the process of EU integration have resulted in weakened cooperation at the regional level. The programme Legislatures and Citizens aims to reinforce communication and cooperation between the neighbouring countries.

Three core activities make this programme unique in strengthening democratic institutions and civil society in the Western Balkans, as well as contribute to regional stability and constructive neighbourly relations in the region. These activities include:

1. Trilateral regional exchange visits among parliaments and CSOs in the region;
2. Civil society feedback to democratic institutions on current domestic and regional problems;
3. Civil society development – common approaches and programmes with other CSOs in the region.

Programme objectives

This program aims to assist the Western Balkan countries in the difficult process of transition. Inter-ethnic tensions, extreme right political tendencies, corruption and organized crime are still main obstacles to democratic institutional capacity-building.

The overall project objectives illustrate the various long-term processes that this project hopes to influence in its work with the countries of the Western Balkans. The basic aim of improving the functioning of democratic institutions and civil society participation in the decision making process represents a crucial element of democratic development in any country in transition. With this programme the EWPPP and its partners intend to:

• Establish institutional cooperation/code of conduct between parliament and citizens at the regional level by recommending minimum procedures and standards for cooperation and good legislative practice;
• Set up a standing regional conference on cooperation between parliament and NGOs;
• Strengthen domestic and regional inter-ethnic cooperation;
• Assist in the establishment of the rule of law and democratic institutions;
• Reinforce civil society and local governance;
• Strengthen the role of parliament and civil society in monitoring the executive;
• Emphasize east-east cooperation in the transition process;
• Promote political party democratization;
• Promote the access of women to power structures;
• Develop concrete projects aimed at connecting MPs with citizens, through educating citizens about the legislative process, referenda, civil society monitoring of the implementation of legislation, and promoting citizen participation in the decision making process.

The regional component is critical to the success of this programme, based on the idea that the creation of a stable and peaceful southern flank is vital to the future of Europe. Western Europe has poured enormous resources into Southeastern Europe over the last ten years, which have contributed to the development of institutional stability to some of the countries. The EWPPP advocates a regional approach to this programme for a variety of reasons. A primary reason is to help countries in the region understand and move closer to EU standards. Although some countries are further along in this process than others, all of them still have a long way to go in reforming legislation and strengthening certain democratic mechanisms, especially the role of civil society in relationship to government and parliament. Thus, despite differing political situations, the issue of parliamentary-civil society cooperation in developing and discussing current policy issues can be described as a common challenge to all of these countries.

This project strongly emphasizes regional expertise and resources, by conducting the project in the region and inviting neighbouring experts to each event. This programme works with the countries in the region on an individual level, and at the same time addresses the importance of regional transparency and communication for effective democratic development.

Duration

1 November 2004 – 31 October 2007

Funding

The Programme Legislatures and Citizens: strengthening democratic institutions and civil society in the Western Balkans is being funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

Implementing partners

The EWPPP, in cooperation with its partners, has developed an action-oriented programme with a flexible backbone that guarantees a constructive and relevant approach for all the countries involved. EWPPP partners in the development and implementation of this programme include:

• Albanian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), Rr. Kont Urani no. 17, Tirana, Albania. Contact person: Mrs. Kozara Kati, Executive Director, Tel +355 4 257757, Fax +355 4 239121.
• Center for Democratic Transition (CDT), Bratstva i jedinstva 65/II, 81000 Podogorica, Montenegro. Contact person: Mr. Marko Canovic, Director, Tel +381 81 601050, Fax +381 81 601050.
• Centre for Strategic Research and Documentation (Forum-CSRD), Boulevard Ilinden 39, 91000, Skopje, Macedonia. Contact person: Ms. Hulija Hilmi, Programme Coordinator, Tel +389 2 3121100, Fax +389 7 0268384.
• Centres for Civic Initiatives (CCI), Kalajdziceva 4, 88000 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Contact person: Mr. Ivica Cavar, Programme Coordinator, Tel +387 36 58 0553, Fax +387 36 580556.
• European Movement in Serbia (EminS), Kralja Milana 31, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Contact person: Dr. Dragan Lakicevic, Project Manager, Tel +381 11 3221174, Fax +381 11 3224202.
• Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED), Kodra e Diellit, RrIII, Ll.39, Pristina, Kosovo. Contact Person: Mr. Lulzim Peci, Executive Director, Tel/Fax +381 38 555 887.

Programme Activities

Tirana, Albania 18 December 2004, Parliament/Civil Society Team Meeting

Participants included members of the Albanian Parliament, staff from the Albanian Center for Human Rights (ACHR), and EWPPP staff. The purpose of this first meeting was the launching of the new programme. The issues discussed during the meeting included specific activities covering the period December 2004 - December 2005 and all project activities throughout the three year programme.

Skopje, Macedonia 12-14 January 2005, Regional Roundtable “New Challenges and Objectives”

Participants in the roundtable included members of Parliament and representatives of NGOs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia, and EWPPP staff. Topics discussed included scheduled activities such as the regional roundtables, trilateral exchange visits, standing conference of Parliaments and NGOs, and publications.

Pristina, Kosovo 7 March 2005, Parliament/Civil Society Team Meeting

Participants in this meeting included members of the Kosovar Parliament and Kosovar NGO representatives. Topics for pending activities were discussed and information on upcoming activities was requested.

Podgorica, Montenegro 18 March 2005, Parliament/Civil Society Team Meeting

Participants in this meeting included members of the three parliaments of Serbia and Montenegro and representatives of Serbian and Montenegrin NGOs. The meeting was held in order to introduce the future activities in the framework of the programme. Topics for activities were proposed and the implementation of the programme was discussed.

Tirana, Albania 24 March 2005, Parliament/Civil Society Team Meeting

Participants in this meeting included members of the Albanian Parliament, representatives of Albanian NGOs and EWPPP staff. The planning of forthcoming events in Albania, the Thessaloniki conference, and the trilateral exchange visit were the main topics under discussion.

Belgrade, Serbia 25 March 2005, Parliament/Civil Society Team Meeting

Participants included members of the three Parliaments of Serbia and Montenegro, and representatives of Serbian and Montenegrin NGOs. Under discussion were the topics of upcoming activities and the Thessaloniki Conference.

Skopje, Macedonia 27-29 March 2005, Regional Roundtable “Transparent and Accountable Governance of the Local Authorities”

Participants included members of Parliament from Macedonia and Kosovo, local government officials from Macedonia, representatives of international organizations, NGO representatives from Macedonia and Kosovo, and EWPPP staff. Topics under discussion included decentralization, good governance on the local level, the role of Mayors, and the new Macedonian Municipality.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 31 March 2005, Parliament/Civil Society Team Meeting

Participants in this meeting included members of the Parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and representatives of NGOs. The 2005 Action Plan and its objectives were discussed. Discussion topics were suggested and preparations were made for the regional conference in Thessaloniki and the trilateral exchange visit.

Thessaloniki, Greece 14-17 April 2005, Standing Conference of Parliaments and NGOs “Promoting EU standards of good governance and rule of law at the domestic and regional level”

The conference brought together members of parliament and NGO representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, the United Kingdom, an OSCE representative and EWPPP staff. The conference provided the opportunity to discuss issues of concern in the Western Balkan region. The focus was on EU standards of good governance and regional transparency and communication for effective democratic development.

Tirana, Albania 12-16 May 2005, Trilateral Exchange Visit

Participants included members of Parliament and NGO representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia; and EWPPP staff. Topics under discussion were co-operation of Balkan parliaments, European integration, and the relationship between politicians and the media. Meetings were organized with various representatives of the Albanian parliament and the media.

Skopje, Macedonia 27-31 May 2005, Trilateral Exchange Visit

Participants included members of Parliament and NGO representatives from Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia, and EWPPP staff. Decentralization and the role of Parliament, and good governance on a local level were the main topics under discussion.

Skopje, Macedonia 15 June 2005, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

Members of Parliament and NGO representatives from Macedonia participated in this meeting. Under discussion were future activities. It was decided that the main theme for future debate should be decentralization.

Belgrade, Serbia 17 June 2005, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

Members from the Serbian Parliament and representatives of Serbian NGOs participated in this meeting. The main topic under discussion was the Roundtable, to be held on 24 June 2005.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 21 June 2005, Regional Roundtable “Liberalization of visa regulations in BiH – experience from the region and EU countries”

Participants included members of Parliament and NGO representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, and Macedonia, representatives of NGOs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and EWPPP staff. The main topic under discussion was the liberalization of visa regulations.

Belgrade, Serbia 24 June 2005, In-country Roundtable “Strengthening regional cooperation through the free movement of people”

Participants in this meeting included members of the Serbian Parliament, representatives of Serbian NGOs, members of the State Administration, a member of Parliament from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a representative of an NGO from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a representative of an NGO from Macedonia, OSCE staff and EWPPP staff. Topics included the free movement of people and goods, migration policy, border control, and cohesion of interests of the region.

Podgorica, Montenegro 7 July 2005, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

Members of the Serbian Parliament and representatives of Serbian NGOs participated in this meeting. The main topic under discussion was the preparation for the upcoming regional roundtable. Topics and meetings were suggested.

Podgorica, Montenegro 12-16 July 2005, Trilateral Exchange Visit

Participants included members of Parliament and NGO representatives from Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro, and EWPPP staff. Topics discussed include rules of procedure in parliament, co-operation with NGOs, help for refugees from the war in Kosovo, and the role of local government in developing a municipality.

Tirana, Albania 19 September 2005, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

This was the first meeting between newly elected members of the Albanian Parliament and representatives of Albanian NGOs and EWPPP staff. The main topic was an explanation of present and past programmes and upcoming activities. Members of the Kosovar Parliament and Kosovar NGOs met to discuss upcoming activities, in particular the upcoming Round Table. It was decided that the topic for this Round Table would be electoral systems, representation and accountability.

Pristina, Kosovo 12-14 October 2005, Regional Roundtable “Election Systems: Problems of Representation and Accountability in Kosovo and Macedonia”

Participants included representatives of Parliaments and Civil Society from Kosovo and Macedonia, representatives from the central Election Committee in Kosovo, as well as KIPRED and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. It aimed to exchange views and experiences between Kosovo and Macedonia on election systems, with a special focus on issues of responsibility and accountability in the electoral systems as well as on the role of CSO-s in the respective countries.

Belgrade, Serbia 1 March 2006, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

The main theme of the discussion was strengthening cooperation between civil society and parliamentary institutions.

Pristina, Kosovo 3 March 2006, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

The topic discussed was the timeline for the second project year as well as the new combinations for the trilateral visits. As a result, a new timeline was agreed upon by the participants.

Podgorica, Montenegro 20 March 2006, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

Discussion topics included the new timeline of activities for the so-called “Montenegrin election year”. Also, the CDT presented the new “Parliamentary Guide” (second edition) which was produced in the framework of the L&C.

Pristina, Kosovo 24-26 March 2006 Regional Roundtable "Electorate Systems and Political Representation"

Participants included MPs and Civil Society representatives from Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Topics discussed included political parties and political representation; nominations of candidates; and regional (experiences with) electoral systems.

Belgrade, Serbia 17 April 2006, NGO/Parliament Team meeting

The topics on the agenda included discussion of future activities and preparations for the Standing Regional Conference in Portoroz, Slovenia, to be held on April 20-23 2006.

Portoroz, Slovenia 20-23 April 2006, Standing Regional Conference: “Regional Cooperation in the EU Integration Process”

Participants included representatives of Parliaments and Civil Society from Western Balkan countries; representatives of the European Parliament; representatives of European/ EU parliaments; representatives of inter-governmental agencies; representatives of the EWPPP. The theme of the second standing conference focused on the opportunities and challenges confronting many countries of the Western Balkans in the European and regional integration process (see corresponding 'Conference Report' for more details).

Skopje, Macedonia 17-21 May 2006, Trilateral Exchange Visit

A joint delegation from the Parliaments and NGOs of Serbia and Kosovo met with their counterparts in the Republic of Macedonia. Topics discussed included the role played by civil society in the security sector and the political context of parliamentary control of the security sector.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 31 May-3 June 2006, Trilateral Exchange Visit

Participants included MPs and Civil Society representatives from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo. Delegations made a number of official visits, including to the Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro in BiH, the Albanian Community in BiH, the Council of Peoples of Republika Srpska, the BiH Parliamentary Assembly and the BiH Presidency.

Podgorica, Montenegro 20-24 June 2006, Trilateral Exchange Visit

MP/NGO delegations from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina met with their counterparts in Montenegro.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 12 September 2006, Regional Roundtable, "Obstacles on BiH's Way to the EU – How to Achieve a More Liberal Visa Regime in BiH and the Region"

Participants included MPs and Civil Society representatives from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Serbia and Kosovo, and an EWPPP staff member. Representing the international community at the roundtable were Christian Schwarz-Schilling, High Representative in BiH / European Union`s Special Representative, and H.E. Ambassador Michael Humphreys, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission in BiH.

Tirana, Albania 18-22 October 2006, Trilateral Exchange and Regional Roundtable, “Regional Cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic Integration Process”

Participants included representatives of the Parliaments and Civil Society of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo. EWPPP representatives also participated.

The Hague 29 October–2 November 2006, Young Politicians Study Visit

MPs from the Parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia participated in a three-day training programme on political leadership, negotiations and EU affairs at the Clingendael Institute in the Hague, the Netherlands.

Podgorica, Montenegro 14-15 December 2006, Regional Roundtable, "The Constitution and Minority Rights"

Participants included representatives of the parliaments and civil society from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 27 February 2007, Regional Roundtable, "Possibilities and Obstacles on BiH's Road towards EU Integration--Regional Experiences and Perspectives"

Members of Parliament and civil society representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia participated in this Roundtable. Regional experts and representatives of the international community also took part.

Skopje, Macedonia 21-23 March 2007, Trilateral Exchange Visit and Regional Roundtable, "Corruption in the Balkans: Does Perception Correspond to Reality?"

A joint delegation representing the parliaments and civil Society of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro met with their counterparts in the Republic of Macedonia. Participation in the Roundtable also included MPs and NGO representatives from Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, as well as EU officials.

Pristina, Kosovo 25-28 April 2007, Trilateral Exchange Visit and Regional Roundtable, "Parliamentary and Civil Society Oversight Practices of the European Union Integration Processs"

During the Trilateral Exchange Visit, a joint delegation representing the parliaments and civil society of Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina met with their counterparts in Kosovo. Participation in the Roundtable also included MPs and NGO representatives from Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Tirana, Albania 17-19 May 2007, Regional Roundtable, "Regional Parliamentary Initiatives"

Participants included representatives of parliaments and civil society from Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo and the United Kingdom as well as EWPPP representatives. The chief purposes of this Roundtable were to assess the current Legislatures and Citizens programme and to discuss the possibilities for its continuation in the future.