(1)

On 10 June 1999 the Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the European Union and the Commission of the European Communities, together with the other participants in the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, agreed to establish a Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, hereinafter called the ‘Stability Pact’.

(2)

Article 1a of Regulation (EC) No 1080/2000 provides for the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact to be appointed on an annual basis.

(3)

It is necessary to establish, together with the appointment, a mandate for the Special Coordinator. Experience has shown that the mandate laid down in Council Decision 2003/910 of 22 December 2003 on the appointment of the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe (2) for 2004 is appropriate.

(4)

It is appropriate to lay down clear lines of responsibility as well as guidance on coordination and reporting,

(a)

promote achievement of the Stability Pact's objectives within, and between, the individual countries, where the Stability Pact proves to have an added value;

(b)

chair the South-Eastern Europe Regional Table;

(c)

maintain close contact with all participants and facilitating States, organisations and institutions of the Stability Pact, as well as relevant regional initiatives and organisations, with a view to fostering regional cooperation and enhancing regional ownership;

(d)

cooperate closely with all institutions of the European Union and its Member States in order to promote the role of the European Union in the Stability Pact in accordance with points 18, 19, and 20 of the Stability Pact document and to ensure complementarity between the work of the Stability Pact and the Stabilisation and Association Process;

(e)

meet periodically and collectively as appropriate with the Chairs of the Working Tables to ensure strategic overall coordination and act as the secretariat of the South-Eastern Europe Regional Table and its instruments;

(f)

work on the basis of a list, agreed in advance and in consultation with the participants in the Stability Pact, of priority actions for the Stability Pact to implement during 2005, and keep the working methods and structures of the Stability Pact under review, ensuring consistency and efficient use of resources.