Regional parliamentary conference titled: “Working to strengthen regional cooperation in the Western Balkans: achievements and prospects”, has ended on Jahorina today. Around 30 parliamentarians from six parliaments of the regional states, including the Delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro, participated in the conference,

On day two of the conference, third panel discussion was devoted to the topic “How parliaments can cooperate with the executive power in the area of implementation the Vienna conclusions and the Berlin agenda”. The following spoke on the topic: Ms Jadranka Joksimovć, Minister without portfolio responsible for European integration and Mr Igor Crnadak, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Mr Borislav Borenović, Chairperson of the Committee for European Integration and Regional Cooperation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, was a moderator. The participants discussed conclusions of the Vienna Summit, whereat the funding of a package of regional infrastructural projects in the amount of 600 million euros was agreed, With regard to that, they emphasised that the Berlin Process and Vienna Summit represented a key incentive for development of the regional cooperation, adding that the Western Balkans states should be aware of the importance of maintaining peace, cooperation and good neighbourly relations. On behalf of the Parliament of Montenegro, Chairperson of the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget Mr Aleksandar Damjanović referred to the important activities of Minister Crnadak with regard to resolving the issue of Sutorina, which unnecessarily burdened excellent relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and welcomed the ratification of the Agreement on the State Border in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The following spoke during the fourth discussion on the topic: “Regional Network of Parliamentary Committees on Economy, Finance: what have we done from 2012 until today” Mr Emil Atanasovski. Director of Western Balkans Programme at Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Ms Mira Grgić, Chair of the Board the Regional Network of Parliamentary Committees on Economy, Finance from the Parliament of the Federation of BiH and Mr Vladimir Marinković, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. The panellists presented the previous work of the Network and presented plan of activities in the following three-year period. The panellists praised the activities of the Network, expressing hope that the cooperation would be even more intensive in the period to come.

At the of the conference, conclusions and recommendations were adopted, which, inter alia, called upon parliaments to engage in more intensive oversight on the efficiency and effectiveness of the spending of IPA funds, welcomed the establishment of the parliamentary budget office in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia as the example of good practice of parliamentary budgetary oversight which should be a focus of other regional parliaments, stressed the importance of introduction of Methodology for prioritisation of the projects coming out from the Berlin summit and invited for monitoring and oversight of strategic documents connected with the Berlin process. 

The conference was organised by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Regional Network of Parliamentary Committees on Economy, Finance and European Integration of the Western Balkans. Delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro was composed of: Chairperson and member of the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget Mr Aleksandar Damjanović and Mr Almer Kalač, and members of the Committee on European Integration Mr Šefkija Murić and Mr Danko Šarančić.