16 02 2008 - energy cooperation and economic development and a Stability Pact for the South Caucasus.

14/10/2008 - Stability and security in the Black Sea region - A socialist initiative.
Leading members of the European Parliament Socialist Group are to hold a conference on the Black Sea region on Friday, this week, in Sofia.

Themes for discussion include regional security and conflict resolution, energy cooperation and economic development and a Stability Pact for the South Caucasus.

"Already months before the recent Caucasus Crisis, Socialists worked on ideas for strengthening the ties of the Black Sea countries of the European neighbourhood with the European Union", stressed Hannes Swoboda and Jan Marinus Wiersma, vice-presidents of the Socialist Group.

They put forward an initiative concerning a Union for the Black Sea on behalf of the EP Socialist Group.

Said Mr.Swoboda and Mr.Wiersma: "The initiative envisages a framework for multilateral cooperation that complements the existing forms of association and offers more opportunities than the Neighbourhood Policy to strengthen political and economic relations with the EU".

" Bulgaria and Romania and also other countries of the EU will play an important role in designing such cooperation with our neighbours, including Turkey and Russia. Sofia will host the first conference in a series of round tables. Other initiatives will follow", affirmed Kristian Vigenin, vice-president of the Socialist Group.

"Our goal is to actively contribute to confidence and stability in the Black Sea region, as being vital for Europe as a whole", stressed Adrian Severin, Head of Romanian Socialist MEPs in the European Parliament and moderator of the panel "A Stability Pact for South Caucasus".

"Some of the problems in the region can only be solved if we can sit around the same table with Russia", he added.

Programme highlights of the conference "Stability and Security in the Black Sea Region-a Socialist Initiative", Sofia, October 17:

* Welcome Speech by Serghei Stanishev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party
* First panel:" Regional Security and Conflict Resolution", Moderator: Hannes Swoboda, vice-president of the PES Group
* Second panel: ""Energy Cooperation and Economic Development", Moderator: Jan Marinus Wiersma, vice-president of the PES Group
* Third panel:" A Stability Pact for the South Caucasus", Moderator: Adrian Severin, Head of Romanian Socialist MEPs in the EP
* Conclusions by Jan Marinus Wiersma and Kristian Vigenin,vice-presidents of the Socialist Group

Gabriela Langada
gabriela.langada@europarl.europa.eu
+ 32 2 284 40 82
+ 32 473 58 24 05
www.socialistgroup.eu

V.V