Within the Stability Pact Working Table on Democratisation and Human Rights, the Task Force on Parliamentary Co-operation has the following objectives:

1. strengthening the democratic efficiency and effectiveness of the parliaments in South Eastern Europe;

2. promoting bilateral and multilateral co-operation among parliaments in South Eastern Europe;

3. contributing to bringing closer to the European Union the countries of the region, which are not yet candidates for accession.

The European Parliament and the assemblies of the Council of Europe and of the OSCE participate in the parliamentary dimension of the Stability Pact.

The Task Force on Parliamentary Co-operation comprises international parliamentary assemblies and national parliaments as well as the four NGOs, which secured adequate funding in the Quick Start Package agreed by the Regional Funding Conference in Brussels, 29-30 March 2000 (see Appendix II). Other NGOs and/or political foundations may join in the future.

An Executive Secretariat, assumed by the Strasbourg-based International Institute for Democracy (IID), assists the Troika with the implementation of the Stability Pact strategy. Its task is to collect and disseminate information on relevant activities carried out by national parliaments, be they bi-lateral or multilateral, and international parliamentary assemblies in the framework of the Stability Pact. A database will be created for this purpose, in which events organised by NGOs and foundations will also be listed.

The Task Force will produce a quarterly electronic newsletter for exchanging information and opinions on past, ongoing and forthcoming events and activities related to its work area. Participants will be invited to contribute reports, and links will be established from the web site to other Internet resources relevant for the work of the Task Force and its participants.

Several previous events took place in the area of parliamentary co-operation. Since September 1998, seven inter parliamentary meetings brought together parliamentarians from South Eastern Europe with their colleagues of the European Parliament and of the national parliaments in Europe at large. The first two meetings took place under the auspices of the Royaumont Process. The last five were organised within the framework of the Stability Pact.

Interest for inter-parliamentary co-operation spontaneously originated from the European Parliament, and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE. In Sofia in November 1999, they affirmed the importance of inter-parliamentary debates on the implementation of the Stability Pact. This declaration was reaffirmed almost one year later in September 2000, in Zagreb. They encouraged South-eastern European national parliaments to establish specific parliamentary sub-committees or ad-hoc groups for Stability Pact related matters. A detailed description of the seven meetings and the adopted final documents can be found in Appendix 1.

The integration of its initial sponsor, the Royaumont Process, into the structures of the Stability Pact in June 2000 emphasised the need to establish a framework for the parliamentary dimension of the Stability Pact.

In response to the conclusions of the various inter-parliamentary meetings, in particular of the Sofia Conference in November 1999 and the Parliamentary Summit of September 2000 in Zagreb, the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact proposed, in late September 2000, that the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE become jointly sponsors of the Task Force on Parliamentary Co-operation. This proposal was unanimously accepted and the Troika sponsorship is now formally established since 15 February 2001.

In order to ensure that the Task Force implements a strategy compliant with the overall Stability Pact objectives, a troika sponsorship system is established, in which the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE each take the lead on a 6-month rotating basis. Together they represent the European Union dimension and the national parliaments of Europe at large.

The role of the Troika is to give political guidance to the Task Force and to help creating a coherent framework for the activities to be organised in the context of the Task Force. The Troika decides, in consultation with the Co-Chairmen of the Working Table, on major events to be held.

During each of these periods of 6 months a major event will be organised in cooperation with one or several of the four aforementioned NGOs. The leading sponsor shall provide the necessary conference and translation/interpretation facilities for the event. Travel and subsistence costs for participants from South Eastern Europe will be covered within the budget of the NGO project(s) concerned. The administrative and logistical preparation of events shall be undertaken by the relevant NGO(s) implementing the project, with the support of the Executive Secretariat and in close co-operation with the leading sponsor.

The events sponsored by the Troika shall serve as an informal forum for discussing Stability Pact issues relevant not only to the Working Table on democratisation and human rights, but also to those on social and economic infrastructure, and on defence and security.

The Task Force on Parliamentary Co-operation shall report on its activities to the Co-Chairmen of Working Table 1, on the basis of information provided by the Executive Secretariat of the Task Force assumed by the International Institute for Democracy (IID). IID shall keep track of ongoing activities, and make information available to participants in the Task Force and to the co-ordinators of other Stability Pact Task Forces with a view to contribute to avoiding duplication.

• Parliamentary Summit Declaration
• Report on Parliamentary Cooperation
• Meeting Report, Brussels, Dec 16, 1999