Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe
The Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe was created on 10 June 1999 on the initiative of the European Union after the war in Kosovo. Forty countries and major international organisations were represented at the founding congressference. At the 1999 summit in Sarajevo the participants agreed that stability and peace in the region could be achieved by establishing public security, establishing and ensuring the effective functioning of democratic institutions and promoting economic and social prosperity. The activities of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe were carried out in the framework of three Working Tables: 1. democratisation and human rights; 2. economic cooperation, development and reconstruction; 3. security issues. Based on operational experience, it was decided in 2006 that this type of crisis management would be more effective if the region took responsibility for improving its situation on its own rather than just coordinating external aid. This resulted in the establishment of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) at a meeting of foreign ministers on 27 February 2008. The RCC aims to support regional cooperation in the region and European and Euro-Atlantic integration.