PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SOUTH – EAST EUROPEAN COOPERATION PROCESS (SEECP PA)
XII PLENARY SESSION
Tirana 9-10 June 2025
JOINT DECLARATION OF THE SEECP PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SOUTH – EAST EUROPEAN COOPERATION PROCESS (SEECP PA)
XII PLENARY SESSION
Tirana 9-10 June 2025
JOINT DECLARATION OF THE SEECP PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Reaffirming the principles included in the Charter of Good-Neighbourly Relations, Stability, Security and Cooperation, signed in Bucharest in 2000, as well as other international documents ratified by the parliaments of the SEECP participants, recalling the Declaration on the Inauguration of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly (Bucharest, 2014), as well as the Final Declarations adopted in Tirana (2015), Sofia (2016), Zagreb (2017), Ljubljana (2018), Pristina (2020), Antalya (2021), Athens (2022), Budva (2023), and Skopje (2024),
Guided by the Rules of Procedure of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly, which determine/define its functioning,
- We consider the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) an important regional platform that aims to strengthen good neighborly relations, foster dialogue and promote comprehensive cooperation among its participants, with a common vision for advancing the European integration of SEECP participants aspiring to EU membership;
- We emphasize the role and importance of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly in European security and stability, based on strong common political will, the principle of inclusiveness, and a regionally owned process;
- We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen regional parliamentary cooperation to support the rule of law and human rights, as essential pillars for democratization, and the sustainable development of the region and the well-being of our citizens;
- We commit to provide legislative support and for the implementation of regional and EU initiatives, and we appreciate the European Union’s continued efforts to bring concrete benefits of EU membership to the citizens of the EU-aspiring SEECP participants, recognizing the political and economic importance of this process;
- We recognize the strategic advantage of South-East Europe’s economic scale and emphasize the need to deepen regional integration. We support the efforts to position the region as a reliable partner in rules-based and fair global trade through strengthened supply chains and advanced manufacturing;
- We call the EU SEECP participants to continue providing political and concrete support to EU-aspiring SEECP participants in their EU accession processes and reform agendas, ensuring that the prospect of EU membership, based on the principle of own merits, and fulfillment of the EU established accession criteria and conditionality, remains a joint objective and a credible, tangible goal for the entire SEE region;
- We advocate for a strong and sustained commitment to the full implementation of the SEE 2030 Strategy, and welcome the engagement of the RCC, upon our request, in preparing and presenting a flash report on the Parliamentary Cooperation for Enhancing Regional Connectivity in SEE, ensuring that the Strategy’s priorities remain aligned with the challenges and needs of the South-East Europe region;
- We affirm the crucial importance of enhancing intra-regional connectivity in South-East Europe as a driver for sustainable economic growth, resilience, and integration into wider European and global value chains to unlock the region’s economic potential and strengthen its global competitiveness through utilizing its leverage as an integrated European region;
- We underline the importance ofenhancing institutional and sectoral capacities particularly in the EU aspiring SEECP participant to support effective policy implementation full alignment with EU acquis and stronger cooperation within the region;
- We express appreciation to the Tirana Chairmanship-in-office for the successful chairing of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly and extend our best wishes to the upcoming Sofia Chairmanship-in-office of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly.