Summarising the recommendations of the White Paper, priority should be giving to the following activities:

1. strengthening strategic reform processes with regard to the national research and innovation systems in the Western Balkan countries and contributing to their sustainability through institution and capacity building.

2. assuring a high level of participation of the Western Balkan countries in the 7th EU Framework Programme on Research and Technological Development and Demonstration activities.

3. promoting the intensive use of existing cooperation instruments, or, where necessary, introducing new, coherent and complementary or joint cooperation instruments for those national and multinational institutions which exceed the scope of the 7th Framework Programme, allowing the full European integration of the Western Balkan science community.

Addressing these needs and building on the experiences of the “Pilot Joint Call” for proposals for S&T networks and projects, as launched by the SEE-ERA.NET consortium in November 2006, a “Regional Programme for Cooperation with South-East Europe” is proposed (targeting mainly priority areas 2 and 3).

Consideration should also be given to complementary activities which aim at the coordination of measures fostering S&T infrastructure development, institution and capacity building human potential development (targeting mainly priority 1).

The Joint Action Plan describes the general concept underlying these activities, with particular emphasis on those measures that will be further developed and implemented by the partners of the SEE-ERA.NET consortium through the expansion of previous and ongoing coordination activities.

Interested European and international institutions are invited to contribute to the planning and implementation of all activities covered by this Joint Action Plan.

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