Conference of the Parliamentary Committees on European Integration/Affairs
of the States Participating in the Stabilization and Association Process in South East Europe (COSAP)

Following the example of COSAC, the participants of the Conference of the Chairpersons of the foreign policy and European integration committees of the national parliaments of the countries participating in the South East European Process (SEECP), held in Bucharest, Romania, on 24-25 March 2005, decided to establish a regional form of parliamentary cooperation of the European affairs committees (Item 10 of the Conference Action Plan).

At the constitutive Conference, held in Sarajevo on 17-18 June 2005, the Rules of Procedure of the COSAP Conference was adopted. Article 1 of the Rules of Procedure defines COSAP as a forum for regular exchange of views regarding the Stabilization and Association Process, the strategy for EU accession of the countries included in the Process, as well as regarding the EU enlargement process. However, it was emphasized that with regard to the competences of the COSAP, it will in no way suspend nor assume the competences of the national parliamentary committees, and that the activities of the Conference will in no way bind the national parliamentary committees, except when they decide explicitly to accept these activities.

Despite the strict commitment from the Rules of Procedure that the meetings will be held regularly at least once every six months, only 5 Conferences were held: the II COSAP Conference was held in Zagreb on 5-6 March 2006; III COSAP Conference in Skopje on 13-14 December 2006; IV COSAP Conference in Cetinje on 27 March 2009; and the V COSAP Conference was held in Belgrade on 23-24 November 2009.

As a form of parliamentary cooperation of the relevant parliamentary committees of the countries participating in the Stabilization and Association Process for the realization of their common goal – accession in the EU, COSAP is supported by the SEECP. The Memorandum of Understanding on Inter-parliamentary Cooperation in South East Europe (Article 3 and 4) notes COSAP as one of the forms of sub-regional cooperation. However, we must have in mind the fact that the cooperation among the Western Balkans countries does not have as a goal additional sub-regional seclusion. On the contrary, its primary goal is increased cooperation with the EU and support of the process of openness of the region towards the EU and full Euro-Atlantic integration of all the SEE countries.