On 26-28 May 2013 10^th Conference of the Presidents of Parliament of the SEECP Participating States took place in Ohrid.

The Agenda of the Conference, proposed by the Macedonian Chairmanship-in-Office, included debates on issues concerning the role of the national parliaments and regional interparliamentary cooperation in overcoming the effects of the economic crisis; Report on the guidelines and modalities for further development of SEECP Parliamentary dimension and leading to setting up a Parliamentary Assembly which was presented by the Chair of the SEECP PD Working Group and adoption of Final Declaration and other official documents of the 10^th Conference of the SEECP Presidents of Parliament.

In a Joint Statement the SEECP Presidents of Parliament reaffirmed their commitment to the continuous contribution for fulfilling the letter and spirit of the Bucharest Charter of Good Neighbourly Relations, Stability, Security and Cooperation in South East Europe, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding on Interparliamentary Cooperation in South East Europe and the Final Declarations from the previous nine Conferences of the SEECP Speakers of Parliament which have repeatedly expressed the will for continuous realization, development and promotion of the SEECP parliamentary dimension. They declared their commitment for institutionalization and transformation of the SEECP Parliamentary Dimension into SEECP Parliamentary Assembly as a regular parliamentary forum for exchange of experiences, dialogue and cooperation on issues of special interest for the SEE countries and their citizens, that would act in synergy with the regional and international partners.

In the Final Declaration the SEECP Presidents of Parliament noted that the global economic and financial crisis has a serious impact on the SEE region and requires implementation of profound and comprehensive changes and reforms on national, regional and global level. Restoring sustainable development continues to be major challenge for most of the governments in the region, and the national parliaments have the task of securing, using their legislative and control function, rule of law and successful fight against corruption and organized crime.

The adopted Final Declaration welcomedthe Europe 2020 strategy of the EU and the SEE 2020 strategy of the Regional Cooperation Council that are aimed at achieving sustainable and inclusive development, as well as initiating activities in the priority areas such as economic and social development, energy and infrastructure, justice and domestic affairs, security cooperation, and human resources development.

In the Final Declaration the SEECP Presidentsof Parliament have reiterated that the enlargement as a long-term strategic concept gave positive results in Europe and the region, and the open doors policy proved encouraging for fulfillment of the required standards and criteria for EU membership. The efforts of both the EU and the accession, candidate and aspirant countries are necessary in order to successfully complete the enlargement process all over the region and in all of its stages.