ABOUT THE FORUM
The First western Balkans Parliamentary Meeting – 02 November 2006 in Belgrade, Serbia.
In most countries within South Eastern Europe, a combination of past conflict and weak, but developing state institutions has resulted in varying degrees of control over the possession, use and trade in weapons in the first few years of the decade. The South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of SALW (SEESAC) has identified the need for the regional parliamentarians to receive information about the present SALW situation, risks, hazards and national commitments.
On 01 November 06, members of the Parliaments from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia participated in a regional seminar organised by SEESAC. The seminar is a component of the European Union Western Balkans SALW Control Support Plan implemented by SEESAC. H.E. Ms. Anna-Maija Korpi, Ambassador of Finland to Serbia, speaking on behalf of the EU Presidency, Francois de Donnea, Member of the Belgian Parliament and Rastilav Vrbenski, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative opened the seminar with key note speeches.
Members of the European and EU member states’ Parliaments, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Forum for SALW, and UNDP technical advisors and project managers informed the parliamentarians from the Western Balkans about EU SALW strategies and engagement, the involvement of EU parliamentarians in SALW Control, the importance of a
national SALW control strategy, and the need for co-ordinated action and increased parliamentary diplomacy, oversight and advocacy.
The major outcomes of the seminar included;
- the proposal to form a regional parliamentary network on SALW;
the agreement to initiate the regional co-operation process through the Speakers of the
Parliaments; - the agreement to convene the inaugural meeting of the regional parliamentary forum on SALW in early spring 2007;
- to establish SEESAC as a secretariat for the regional parliamentary forum on SALW and
- to co-ordinate the regional parliamentary activities with the Parliamentary Forum for SALW.
