COMMON POSITION

of 17 May 1999

adopted by the Council on the basis of Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union, concerning a Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe

(1999/345/CFSP)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 15 thereof;

Whereas:

(1) on 8 and 26 April 1999 the Council adopted conclusions concerning South-Eastern Europe;

(2) a political solution to the Kosovo crisis must be embedded in a determined effort geared towards stabilising the region as a whole;

(3) a Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe should be prepared;

(4) such a Stability Pact should be founded on the UN Charter, the principles and commitments of the OSCE, and the relevant treaties and conventions of the Council of Europe, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights;

(5) the European Union should play the leading role in the Stability Pact, the OSCE has a key role to play in fostering security and stability, and the Stability Pact should be developed and implemented in close association with the OSCE;

(6) the European Union, within the framework of the regional approach and beyond, is already active in strengthening democratic and economic institutions in the region through a number of well established programmes;

(7) the European Union will drawn the region closer to the perspective of full integration of these countries into its structures through a new kind of contractual relationship, taking into account the individual situation of each country, with a perspective of European Union membership on the basis of the Treaty of Amsterdam and once the Copenhagen criteria have been met;

(8) the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia should be invited to participate in such a Stability Pact once it has met the necessary conditions,

HAS ADOPTED THIS COMMON POSITION:

Article 1

1. the European Union will play the leading role in establishing a Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe.

2. The aim of this Stability Pact is to help ensure cooperation among its participants towards comprehensive measures for the long-term stabilisation, security, democratisation, and economic reconstruction and development of the region, and for the establishment of durable good-neighbourly relations among and between them, and with the international community.

3. The European Union will work to ensure the creation among the participants themselves of a "South-Eastern Europe Regional Table" to carry forwards the Stability Pact.

Article 2

1. In order to further the objectives stated in Article 1 the European Union will convene a conference on South-Eastern Europe.

2. The conference will take place at the level of Foreign Ministers, if possible no later than the end of July 1999. The conference will be held using the Royaumont format (excluding the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until it has met the conditions of the international community for its participation). In addition, representatives of Canada, Japan, EBRD, EIB, IMF, WB, OECD, UN, NATO, WEU, UNHCR, as well as representatives of regional initiatives will also participate at the conference.

3. The conference will be prepared at a meeting in Königswinter (Petersberg) on 27 May 1999 at the level of senior officials, in the format set out in paragraph 2. With a view to this, work for this conference will be carried forward urgently.

Article 3

1. The European Union will actively support the countries in the region in achieving the objectives on the Stability Pact.

2. The European Union will undertake together with international donors to organise a donors/reconstruction conference for South-Eastern Europe.

Article 4

This Common Position shall take effect on the date of its adoption.

Article 5

This Common Position shall be published in the Official Journal.

Done at Brussels, 17 May 1999.

For the Council

The President

J. FISCHER