International Conference “Southeast European Countries and European Union”
With the aim of spreading the ideas of peace and humanism and the network of concrete peace actions in Southeast Europe, and through implementing the Conclusions of the Fifth Congress of the International League of Humanists (Dubrovnik, October 23-25, 2005), ILH Council for Implementation of Peace and Cooperation Among Peoples and Countries reached a decision to organize an international conference dedicated to the relations between Southeast European countries and European Union.
Having in mind the complexity of relations between the European Union and Southeast Europe, the Conference aims to shed some light on several aspects of those relations: strategic, political, economic, cultural and of international law. Organization of the Conference seems even more justified in view of the wish for accession into EU membership being diverse (even among the members of EU) and not implying the same objectives. Thus, issues arise on the EU intentions in Southeast Europe, degree of readiness of Southeast Europe to accept EU standards and norms, specificities of the path and development of each individual Southeast European country, etc.
In that context, an entire range of specific and even more concrete topics is being opened for consistent analyzing of these issues. Our assumption is that the participants will surely in their contributions and discussions provide their comments to the following topics:
- How many roads lead to Brussels?
- Importance of regional cooperation for European integrations process;
- Past and present support of the European Union to the countries of this region;
- Role of education and culture as interethnic and interreligious understanding and trust;
- Development of democratic order and civil society;
- European community and national identity;
- Societies in transition and cultural policies and institutions;
- Role of young people in European integrations (Bologna process and consent for access to new programs (Socrates-Erasmus, FP-6, FP-7, etc.)
The Budva Conference should provide answers to these and other issues, remove dilemmas and doubts and indicate those paths which lead to the European community and regional stability and prosperity.
Representatives of Southeast European countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece) will be invited to this Conference along with the representatives of the European Union – members of the European Commission whose term of office is 2004 – 2009, and representatives of other European countries, as well as prominent scientific, cultural and public workers.
Our expectation is that the Conference topic defined in such a way will gather greater number of representatives of Southeast European countries, countries of the European Union and independent intellectuals, scientists and artists from around Europe.
Our belief is that the Conference topic provides numerous opportunities for constructive and creative discussions about the activities of Southeast European countries in their preparing for accession to the European Union. On the other hand, EU will obtain a clear picture about the situation in the region and about specific circumstances in which each country seeks it own path towards the European Union.
On behalf of the organizer, the International League of Humanists and Scientific Council of the Conference and myself, I would hereby like to invite you to take an active part at this Conference in order to jointly and through a dialogue and exchange of ideas, proposals and suggestions define the possible paths towards the European Union.
Respectfully,
PRESIDENT OF CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
Academician Nikola Kovač, Ph.D.
|