• From 23-25 April the first Balkan Mosaic conference to be organized in Bosnia-Herzegovina will take place in Sarajevo. The theme of the conference is building a stronger civil society in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The participants at the conference will be young researchers, MPs and journalists from all parts of BiH, as well as some representatives from the other Balkan Mosaic countries. • From 14-17 June a conference for the Young Leaders’ network will be organized in Belgrade. The participants will be young politicians from all over the Balkans

Following the wide array of activities in 2006, where the Balkan Mosaic took a further step forward with the involvement of the Norwegian Atlantic Committee and the Norwegian MfA, we now have a unique opportunity to develop the network even further. Building on the already established networks under the Central and South Eastern European Security Forum (CSEESF a.k.a. Balkan Mosaic) the organizations involved have shown continued dedication and succeeded in creating a strong platform for public debate with a vast regional outreach. This has led to significant contributions in the field of regional security, based on research, information sharing, and engagement of both youth and civil society in general, which can now be used to further strengthen the reform process and impact on the countries involved.

The 4th Sofia Meeting: “Networking the Network: Implications for the Western Balkans” was organized to follow the ATA Balkan Mosaic Forum, supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was held on November 6th-9th, 2006 gathering together participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and UNMIK Kosovo. One of the chief achievements of the initiative is the determination of its stakeholders to work together on regional security and foreign policy issues and to foster the Balkan Mosaic model as a drive for regional progress.

The International Conference “Drafting a Regional Security Strategy from the Perspective of the Civil Society”, was organized by the Atlantic Treaty Association and the Euro Atlantic Council Romania – Casa NATO with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway in the framework of the Balkan Mosaic Programme. The meting was held in Bucharest in the period 5-8 October 2006, with representing organizations of the civil society from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia.

Please find below the assessments of security and democracy presented at the Third Sofia Meeting on June 28-30, 2006:

Albania
Bulgaria
Croatia
Macedonia
UNMIK Kosovo
Romania
Serbia

On June 28-30, 2006, the Atlantic Treaty Association and the Euro-Atlantic Education Initiative organized the Third Sofia Meeting, in cooperation with the Danish Atlantic Treaty Association, Casa NATO - Romania, The Euro-Atlantic Council of Macedonia, the Bulgarian and the Royal Danish Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The conference was held at the Barcelo Festa Sofia Hotel, and dealt with the the lessons learned, and the next steps for the Western Balkans.

Within the agenda of the Central and South Eastern European Security Forum (CSEESF) - Balkan Mosaic, where one of the main aim is creation of future young leaders network, which should provide significant contribution to the integration processes of NATO and EU membership, the Euro-Atlantic Club of Macedonia will organize the Ohrid Symposium for Young Leaders Challenges to Regional Security - Future Vision of the Balkans in Europe.

The Symposium aims to establish a network of young leaders to further on work on the main security challenges in the region. The CSEE Security Forum has agreed on eight priorities which are the following:

1. Conflict prevention and crisis management;
2. Defence and security sector reform;
3. Social and economic cohesion;
4. Strengthening the rule of law;
5. Border security and management;
6. Arms control and removal of small arms;
7. Threat of terrorism;
8. Improvement of the environment.

The research coordination team, in cooperation with the international evaluation commission, agreed upon extending the deadline of our research competition. The new due date is September 15, 2005.

This decision is due to the fact that the vast majority of submissions originated from non-Balkan citizens, and we wish to offer students from CSEESF member countries a new opportunity to share their views and opinions regarding democracy and security in the region.

Since the Ohrid Summer Symposium will take place before the final due date, the winner of the competition will take part in the next Balkan Mosaic international event, "Public Perceptions and Public Diplomacy: NATO in South-Eastern Europe", to be held in Bucharest in early November.

The CSEESF is launching a Research Competition on the issue of democratization!

The authors of the best ranked papers will be awarded the following prizes:

– first place: 250 USD and an invitation to the CSEESF Summer Symposium to take place in Ohrid, Macedonia in September 2005
– second place: 2 prizes of 150 USD each
– third place: 2 prizes of 100 USD each

The selected papers will also be included in a follow-up publication as well as uploaded on our website.

The independence of Kosovo would automatically lead to the independence of the [Bosnian] Serb Republic because the same principles would apply, Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic has said.

"In my contacts with world leaders, I insist on the principle of identical standards and I always tell them that the situation in Bosnia-Hercegovina would become more stable if the Kosovo problem is resolved within the Serbian framework. Let the Serbs of the Serb Republic get everything that will be granted to the Kosovo Albanians," Draskovic has told Blic [Belgrade-based daily].