Local and regional authorities therefore considerably contribute to creating conditions for European integration, Busek said at the conference on efficient democratic government at local and regional levels. He recalled that cross-border cooperation had proven to be a strong tool in the process of integration of Western Europe after World War II. Cooperation between local and regional authorities, especially cross-border cooperation, opens paths not only to development but also to inter-ethnic reconciliation, he said.
Speaking about South-East European countries and the legacy of centralised governments, Busek said that the Stability Pact in 2005 would pay special attention to the development of local authorities and cross-border cooperation.
"We are confident that without strong local democratic authorities this region will not be able to make progress either in the economic or social sense and it will not be able to offer citizens the much needed security which is hope of a better future," Busek said.
Busek expressed confidence that the conference would result in launching a process which would institutionalise dialogue between the central government, local authorities and civil society. He placed emphasis on the need to make the entire process transparent.
The conference on local self-government, which was organised by the Croatian government, the Council of Europe, and the Stability Pact, is the first meeting of ministers from South-East Europe in charge of local self-government.
The meeting, which pooled representatives of Croatia, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina's two entities, Serbia and Montenegro, Romania, Macedonia, the UN Mission in Kosovo, and Moldova, sent a strong message about the need for decentralisation as a condition of not only political, but economic stability as well.