Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB) meeting - “Towards a Common Economic Space in Southeast Europe.”
Cape Sounion, Greece, September 29-30, 2006

The Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB), with the support of the Hellenic Parliament and in cooperation with the World Bank and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), organized a gathering of 40 parliamentarians from Southeast Europe to discuss common issues relating to the theme of “Towards A Common Economic Space in Southeast Europe.” Parliamentarians from the following countries and entities were invited to the meeting: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey. The meeting took place at the Grecotel Cape Sounion in Greece on September 29-30, 2006.

The meeting of Southeast European parliamentarians was held at a critical time in the process of EU integration, with all of the countries invited to the conference being actively involved in various stages of discussions with the EU. As EU integration takes its course, the conference’s aim was to explore what actions can be taken now in parallel to that process to achieve closer economic ties, reduce poverty, and improve cooperation between Southeast European countries.

With this in mind, participants were asked to take part in brainstorming sessions focused on four common issues that all countries involved are grappling with – namely energy, governance, labor markets and immigration, and trade/transport. Each session was chaired by a parliamentarian, and research was presented from the World Bank as well as contributions from other discussants and independent organizations.

At the meeting, parliamentarians from Southeast Europe agreed to create a new branch of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB) and aim to consult together on common development challenges in the region.

Meeting Documents:

Agenda (pdf, 96 KB)

Media Advisory (pdf, 25 KB)

Press Release (October 2, 2006, pdf, 24 KB)

Meeting Presentations:

Greek Minister of Economy and Finance, George Alogoskoufis addressed the Conference

Speech by Mr. George Alogoskoufis, Minister of Economy and Finance, Hellenic Republic (pdf, 32 KB)

Recent Developments, Reform Challenges and the Role of the World Bank Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, Country Director and Regional Co-ordinator for Southeast Europe, World Bank (ppt, 856 KB)

Possible Issues for Discussion (ppt, 116 KB)

Migration and Employment in South-Eastern Europe: Going the Extra MILES? Arup Banerji, The World Bank (ppt, 337 KB)

Reducing the Economic Distance to Market - Towards a Common Economic Space in Western Balkans Motoo Konishi, Sector Manager Transport, The World Bank (ppt, 1,275 KB)

The Energy Community of South East Europe Henk Busz; Europe and Central Asia Region, The World Bank (ppt, 732 KB)

Toward Better Governance in the Balkans – The Anticorruption Imperative James Anderson, The World Bank (ppt, 442 KB)

The Southeastern European Economies in Transition: Challenges, Opportunities and Risks Athanasios Vamvakidis IMF Resident Representative in Croatia (ppt, 2.2 MB)

Background World Bank Documents:

Enhancing Job Opportunities - Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (November 2005; pdf, 298 KB)

Millennium Development Goals. Progress and Prospects in Europe and Central Asia (2005; pdf, 946 KB)

Growth, Poverty and Inequality - Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (October 2005; pdf, 220 KB)

Infrastructure in Europe and Central Asia Region: Approaches to Sustainable Services (June 2006)

World Bank Framework for Development of a Power Market in South East Europe (March 2006; pdf, 237 KB)

World Bank Framework for Development of a Regional Energy Trade in South East Europe (March 2004; pdf, 346 KB)
 

The Parliamentary Network:

The Parliamentary Network on the World Bank is the Bank’s primary parliamentary interlocutor, an independent association of some 500 members of parliament from 90 countries. PNoWB mobilizes parliamentarians in the fight against global poverty, promotes transparency and accountability in international development, and offers a platform for policy dialogue between the Bank and parliamentarians. Established in 2000 and governed by a nine-member board of parliamentarians, PNoWB receives or has received funding from governments (France, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland) as well as the World Bank and the IMF.

PNoWB Chair, Bert Koenders, on a Field Visit to Ethiopia

PNoWB seeks to be an action-oriented network of parliamentarians. Its flagship event, the PNoWB Annual Conference, has brought parliamentarians together with the leaders of the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO, and with heads of states such as Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Senegalese President Wade. PNoWB engages the Bank’s country offices through local or regional chapters, with active groups to date in India, Japan, East Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa are active. PNoWB also organizes field visits to developing countries to review the Poverty Reduction Strategy process, consulting with a range of stakeholders, from Bank staff to civil society representatives to ministers and heads of state. PNoWB has a working group on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria to promote legislation to stem the epidemics, and another group on international trade to advance a pro-poor outcome of ongoing WTO negotiations. The network, together with the World Bank, has developed a Parliamentarian’s Guide to the World Bank.

For further details, please consult the PNoWB website. For more information about the global parliamentary outreach and activities of the World Bank, have a look at the Working with Parliamentarians webpage.