30 October 2006 :: Archive 2006 :: Press releases :: News & Events

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24-th Meeting of the Joint Cooperative Committee

Bucharest,30 October 2006--The 24-th Meeting of the Joint Cooperative Committee (JCC), the highest decision making body of the SECI, took place on 26 -27 October 2006 at the premises of the Center's headquarter in Bucharest.

High level officials from the SECI Member and Observer States, permanent advisers representative, officials representatives from the candidate countries and organizations to the status of membership and observer as well as the representatives of International Organizations and civil society participated at the gathering.

During two days of lively debates, the JCC Members discussed and reviewed a large number of important topics of the Meeting's agenda, including enlargement of the organization by joining of new members and observers, the necessity of drafting the new Convention, Action Plan for 2007, enforcement of the Center's operational capacity and strategic planning.

The SECI/ JCC welcomed the application of Georgia to become full Member of the Organization and approved the official request of Slovakia and European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) to become Permanent Observers to the SECI. All necessary formal procedures of Georgia's acceding to the organization will continue through diplomatic channels. The SECI Center will follow the process in the coming future.

By the decision of the 24-th Meeting of JCC, there have been also approved the proposal of establishing two Working Groups, First Group on elaborating the 2007- 2008 budget and Second Group on finalizing the SECI new Convention.

The SECI Center, in cooperation with the authorities concerned from the Member States, will initiate and continue all necessary procedures in due time.

According to the 1999 Convention, the SECI Member States are Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.

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Mr. Georgios Kounadis, Chairman, (in the midle) addressing the 24-th Meeting of the JCC

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Mr. Erkki Hamalainen, representative of the Finlands EU Presidency, participating at the SECI JCC Meeting

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Ms. Ekaterine Zkuladze, Deputy Minister of Interior, applying for Georgia's accecion to SECI

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Mr. Ferenc Banfi, adressing SECI/ JCC Meeting on the ocasion of formalizing Observer status to SECI by EUBAM to Moldova and Ukraine

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Mr. Jan Soth, Ambassador of Slovakia to Romania, speaking on the ocassion of receiving the staus of Observer to SECI by his country