The final panel discussion part of project Meet Your Neighbour – European Parliamentarian was held on 20 December at the House of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

The project was realised in 2010 by the European Movement in Serbia, in cooperation with the National Assembly’s European Integrations Committee, in view of the fact that parliamentary diplomacy is gaining an ever more important role in the European integration process. The project was realised with the participation of Members of the European Parliament and representatives of partner civil society organisations from neighbouring EU member states. So far, meetings with European Parliament Members from Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania have been held in Palic, Nis and Zrenjanin.

Tanja Miscevic, Vice-President of the European Movement in Serbia, Bozidar Djelic, RS Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Laszlo Varga, European Integrations Committee Chairman, Jelko Kacin, EU Rapporteur for Serbia, Zoran Thaler and György Schöpflin, MEPs, Gordana Comic, NARS Deputy Speaker and European Integrations Committee member, Milica Delevic, Director of the RS Government’s European Integration Office, Sandor Koles, Vice President at the International Centre for Democratic Transition from Hungary, Mihai Lisetchi, Director of the Agency for Information and Development of Non-Governmental Organisations for Romania as well as numerous deputies took part in the panel discussion.

It was concluded:

- that the cooperation between the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and European Parliament should be developed and improved further, and information should be exchanged regularly so as to strengthen mutual cooperation and coordination;

- that cross-border cooperation is an important element of a successful European integration process and that IPA funds and other disposable funds should be used for the purpose;

- that the creation of the informal friendship group “Friends of Serbia” at the European Parliament is useful for extending cooperation and expediting Serbia’s European integration process;

- that the support of the non-governmental sector is essential for Serbia’s European integration process.