Issues with regional reintegration of the Western Balkans

The development of regional cooperation is in the best interests of all the western Balkan countries: it is a key factor for establishing political stability, security and economic prosperity.… In this context, regional cooperation is therefore a cornerstone of the EU's policy framework for the western Balkans—the stabilization and association process, which offers to the countries of the region the possibility of eventual EU membership. (Olli Rehn,1 1 European Commission, Regional Cooperation in the Western Balkans, European Commission, Brussels, 2005, p. 2. European Commissioner for Enlargement) The [Southeast Europe] region must be given a perspective of re-joining the European mainstream—because the clearest lesson of the past 50 years is that integration breeds trust, stability and prosperity. (Lord Robertson,2 2 Southeast Europe Initiative—NATO Fact Sheet, < www.nato.int/docu/facts/2001/seei.htm> (10 November 2004).