Slovak Transition Serves as Model at Serbian Conference, with Help of Embassy and Pontis Foundation

November 21, 2008

A conference, held November 6-7 in Belgrade, debated Serbia's future in the European Union, supported by Slovakia's Pontis Foundation and the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava. Eduard Kukan, the former Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs, talked about Slovakia's transition and EU integration with Serb stakeholders – civil society, the government, think-tanks, media and universities. The conference itself showed that EU integration is becoming an issue of a national consensus in Serbia: all representatives of the recently elected Serbian government taking part in the conference recognized the importance of civil society in the EU integration process. Mr. Kukan pointed out the role of civil society in consolidating democracy and in societal transformation. The main focus of his speech was regional cooperation and the Visegrad process, of which Slovakia is a member. He shared the story of how neighboring countries and the regional cooperation within the Visegrad group helped Slovakia, and he argued that regional cooperation is crucial for stability of the Western Balkans, along with NATO integration. The Pontis Foundation has been supported  by the U.S. Embassy since September 2007 to bring to two Serbian regions relevant Slovak experience in addressing local issues.