10 Years of SECI — Lessons Learned

Abstract

When the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) was first launched in 1996, it was considered both unique and unconventional. Now — ten years down the road — stabilization and transformation have become conventional wisdom for both the international community, especially the European Union, as well as the countries of Southeast Europe on their path towards Euro-Atlantic integration. Stabilization and democratic transformation are the underpinnings of the European integration process, as well as the international community’s approach to crises management in other parts of the world. They have also become a new and integral part of European and global policy, which reflects a new responsibility for the international community and Europe in the 21st century. The successes, which can be seen in Southeast Europe, are also the result of a learning process of international cooperation. Those who have followed the developments of SECI for the past ten years have also seen a change in the dynamic of the Euro- Atlantic relationship. In 1996, the United States was the driving force in bringing an end to the bloody conflicts in Southeast Europe and stabilizing the region. The European Union has since moved from being a partner in this effort to a major player. The development of the EU-led Stability Pact for Southeast Europe (launched in 1999) can certainly trace its roots back to the establishment of SECI, whereby the Royaumont Process was the European forerunner to the Pact. The European Union was successful in ensuring that the Stability Pact had a much broader mandate, than was the case with SECI, which was more limited in focus and scope. It was a great advantage that the European perspective of the countries of Southeast Europe was mentioned in the founding documents of the Stability Pact, then underlined at the Zagreb summit of 2000, and finally declared a goal in 2003 at the Thessaloniki summit. Despite the fact that this goal will be influenced by the internal situation in the European Union, the European perspective of the countries of the region remains a reality. Another lesson is that of dealing with a new map of Europe. The reality that stabilization and regional development are essential if Europe is to remain democratic has replaced balance of power politics and vying for allies among newly created states. The approach of the United States to expand its influence on the neighboring regions of Europe (the Near East, Central Asia etc.) is an outgrowth of this policy.