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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania to strengthen regional cooperation

Belgrade/Ruse, 7 March 2014

Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Plamen Oresharski and Prime Minister of Romania Victor Ponta held a trilateral meeting in Ruse, Bulgaria, after which they adopted a joint declaration.

Victor Ponta, Plamen Oresharski and Ivica Dacic

Author: Tanjug

The official website of the Serbian government brings the joint declaration in its entirety:

Joint Declaration of the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia

We, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Plamen Oresharski, the Prime Minister Romania H.E. Mr. Victor-Viorel Ponta and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mr Ivica Dacic,

Having met in Ruse on 7 March 2014,

Celebrating this year the 135th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania, and between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Serbia,

Sharing the view that the traditionally friendly and good neighbourly relations among the three countries, based on common European values and principles, are in the interest of their peoples,

Expressing their satisfaction with the ongoing high level political dialogue among the three countries,

Reiterating that the EU enlargement process towards the countries of South East Europe has a paramount role in strengthening democracy, the rule of law, stability and prosperity within countries of the region,

Noting the start of the accession negotiations of Serbia with the EU and its European membership perspective is supported by Bulgaria and Romania, based on the fulfilment of the accession criteria,

Recognising that the South Eastern Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) is the only inclusive and regionally-owned political forum that brings together countries from the Western Balkans and their EU neighbours,

Acknowledging the importance of holding regularly trilateral dialogue between the three countries as a functioning institutional framework of regional cooperation that helps building confidence and trust in the region,

Declare on this important occasion that:

We share a commitment to regional cooperation through fostering regional dialogue, building economic prosperity and addressing socio-economic challenges.

We reaffirm our support for regional projects of common interest, particularly in the fields of transport, energy and environment, in view of fostering economic development and improving the economic and energy security of the region.

We place utmost importance on the completion of the gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Romania at Ruse – Giurgiu and the gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Serbia at Sofia – Nis which are important elements of the energy security infrastructure of Europe.

We support the role of the EU Strategy for the Danube region in addressing common challenges and enhancing EU integration in the region. In this context, we stress the importance of applying macro-regional approach for boosting the economic development, with the view of connecting the Danube and the wider Black Sea regions by exploring synergies among priority areas of relevant importance.

We place special importance on the further development of cross-border cooperation among the three countries, especially in the context of the new Programming period 2014-2020, with the objective to strengthen the territorial cohesion of cross-border regions, their competitiveness and sustainability through mutually beneficial projects.

We share the view that the momentum of the enlargement process of the European Union should be maintained with respect to all Western Balkan countries, based on their progress towards meeting the accession criteria. In this regard Bulgaria and Romania warmly welcome the efforts and achievements by the Serbian government on the path towards EU accession and encourage Serbia to continue with key reforms. Bulgaria and Romania will continue to share with Serbia their experience with the EU accession process.

We have agreed to continue meeting at the level of Prime Ministers at least once a year.