On 17-18 September 2001, Brussels hosted the first Parliamentary Conference of countries from the EU and the Stability Pact. That conference marked the beginning of close working contact with the European Parliament, PACE and the OSCE and the Parliamentary Troika was established. The three parliamentary institutions reached agreement to sponsor and develop the parliamentary dimension of the Stability Pact.


From 9 to 11 May 2003 a Conference “Women Parliamentarians of the South East Europe Cooperation process: "From Victims to Agents of Change” took place in Budva. The purpose of this conference was to discuss, from the perspective of the current position of women in the region, the issues of regional development and promotion of regional cooperation among women and of their participation in the political life.


Since 2004 the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe has made Parliamentary Cooperation one of its core objectives. The endeavors undertaken by the Stability Pact Parliamentary Cooperation Task Force favored the strengthening of parliamentary capacities and the setting up of sustainable working structures amongst South East European Parliaments, leading to their stronger involvement in regional activities. The Task Force on Parliamentary Cooperation has been instrumental in involving national parliaments in South Eastern Europe into the activities of the Stability Pact. Within the Stability Pact Working Table on Democratization and Human Rights, the Task Force had the following objectives:

1.    strengthening the democratic efficiency and effectiveness of the parliaments in South Eastern Europe;
2.    promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation 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 Task Force on Parliamentary Cooperation operated at different levels: a political and a technical assistance level, Parliamentary Troika and NGO projects.


In 2004, on initiative of the Serbia and Montenegro Parliament, the Cetinje Parliamentary Forum was first held. The aim of the forum was to develop parliamentary dialogue and cooperation in the region. Parliamentary cooperation was at the level of parliamentary committees. It includes the parliaments in Tirana, Sarajevo, Sofia, Belgrade, Skopje, Bucharest, Zagreb and Podgorica. Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and the UK have observer status. As part of the Cetinje forum, an exchange of „best practices” is conducted to improve the work of parliaments and in particular to incorporate European standards in national legislation.


On 25 March 2005, SEECP Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Affairs and European Integration reconvened at a meeting in Bucharest to reconfirm the main areas and forms of cooperation. The progress achieved in the process of European integration of SEECP countries was noted, regardless of the stage of integration into the EU: Member States, candidate countries or participants in the stabilization and association process. Accession to the EU was now listed as a main priority: „For the first time ever in its long-standing history, the people of South-Eastern Europe are given the unique opportunity to be part of the European values and to bring their own contribution to the building up of the new, free and united Europe.”


Parliamentary meeting of the countries participating in the Stabilisation and Association Process, 16-18 - June 2005 in Sarajevo /COSAP/. The European perspective of Western Balkan countries was noted as the main incentive for developing cooperation, stepping up the process of reforms and democratisation. At the Sarajevo meeting, parliamentarians from Tirana, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade and Skopje founded COSAP - European Integration Parliamentary Committees of States participating to the Stabilisation and Association Process forum of parliamentary cooperation to join efforts in accelerating the integration processes.


In 2005 the Stability Pact Gender Task Force developed the SEE Women MPs Exchange Project with the aim of gathering SEE women MPs in order to develop common strategies and strengthen their expertise in key policy gender equality areas of relevance to European Accession. The project, funded by Germany, started as a series of regional workshops where best practices and experiences were exchanged.