The meeting was opened by Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, whose country currently holds the SEECP presidency, European Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini, and Southeast Europe Stability Pact Coordinator Erhard Busek.
The attendance of Commissioner Frattini shows the importance which the European Commission attaches to regional cooperation in the areas of justice and home affairs, as well as the European Commission's openness and readiness to help with its experience and know-how in accomplishing our common goal and that is Southeast Europe as a zone of justice, freedom and security, in the interest of developing the democratic stability of our countries as important elements of our contribution to the process of EU enlargement, Sanader said in his opening remarks.
The rest of Europe is watching this region with interest and wants to see it succeed, Frattini said, stressing that the road to Europe required reforms, but not for the sake of Brussels, but for the sake of democracy and for the sake of creating a more competitive market.
As part of the platform for the Western Balkans region, the European Commission has been promoting a network of state attorney's offices in the countries of the region to facilitate the fight against organised crime and the criminal prosecution of cross-border crime, he added.
Frattini also stressed the importance of the fight against corruption, saying that it should be conducted through legislative reforms in the countries of the region.
Zero tolerance of corruption is necessary at all levels of public administration, the EU commissioner said, announcing that he was preparing an EU-wide proposal to eradicate the existing links between corruption, money laundering and the secrecy of bank data.
Frattini also highlighted the importance of a functioning and independent justice system, saying that such a system was not just a pillar of democratic society but that it also played an important role in the economic development of all the countries.
Judicial reform is one of the key elements for the admission of EU membership candidates, and regional cooperation is necessary so that we can do something successfully, Busek said in his remarks.
Busek said there were five important mechanisms in combating organised crime, citing the fight against cross-border crime, close cooperation between police chiefs, combating vehicle theft in cooperation with European and international police organisations Europol and Interpol, combating corruption through exchanges of experience and training seminars, and combating illegal immigration.
Addressing the meeting, Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu stressed the importance of judicial reform and combating crime and corruption, saying that his country had successfully begun this in the process of preparations for membership of the European Union, which it joined on January 1 this year. He also stressed the important role of the regional centre for combating organised crime, which is based in Bucharest.
In addition to the Croatian officials and the representatives of international organisations, the meeting was being attended by 15 ministers and six deputy ministers or state secretaries from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey.
Croatian representatives included Justice Minister Ana Lovrin, Interior Minister Ivica Kirin, Supreme Court President Branko Hrvatin, Chief State Attorney Mladen Bajic, and USKOK (Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime) Director Dinko Cvitan.