Adopted Mission Statement:

The Platform facilitates the interaction between the Western Balkan Countries, the EU member states, the candidate and potential candidate countries and other states associated to the Framework Programmes for RTD and the European Commission. Its main objective is to support the enhanced integration of the WBCs in the European Research Area. It is a strategic body to deal with European, multilateral and regional issues of Science and Technology policies in and with the WBCs. It acts as an information exchange centre, clearing house for joint ideas and activities, and coordination forum for needs, suggestions and proposals of the WBCs to the European Commission, the EU27, candidate and potential candidate countries and the countries associated to FP7 (AC) and vice versa. In this spirit, the Platform continues and intensifies the progress achieved under the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan on Science and Technology.

The initial suggestion for a Mission Statement to start the discussion (posted September 15, 2006):

The 'Steering Platform on Research for the Western Balkan Countries' interacts between the Western Balkan Countries, the EU Member States and states associated to the European Framework Programme for RTD and the European Commission as a discussion forum, a clearing house for joint ideas and activities and a mutually utilised know-how and information transfer centre. It is the main think tank to deal with European, multilateral and regional issues of S&T policies in the Western Balkan countries. In this spirit, it continues and intensifies the progress achieved under the EU-Balkans Action Plan on Science and Technology.

The bi-regional dialogue under the Steering Platform will also:

• Develop, promote, organise and structure the participation of the Western Balkan Countries in FP7 and other research programmes
• Facilitate the identification and the prioritisation of common research areas of mutual interest and benefit
• Facilitate the uptake and use of research and innovation activities and monitoring of performance and effects of international S&T cooperation across the Specific Programmes of FP7

Kindly post your comments here on the website or address them directly to Ms. Elke Dall at dall@zsi.at. Information about the results will be available in future meetings and through the eJournal and via this site.

The three annotations which are currently available are posted below:

1. Modification of the Mission Statement:
The following changes have been suggested by a group from Austria (Manfred Horvat, Anneliese Stoklaska, Barbara Weitgruber) in September 2006:

The “Steering Platform on Research for the Western Balkan Countries“ facilitates the interaction between the Western Balkan Countries, the EU member states, the candidate countries and other states associated to the EU Framework Programme for RTD and the European Commission. Its main objective is to support the enhanced integration of the WBCs in the European RTD cooperation activities. It acts as a discussion forum, a clearing house for joint ideas and activities and a centre for the transfer of know-how and information. It is the main think tank to deal with European, multilateral and regional issues of S&T policies in the WBCs. In this spirit, it continues and intensifies the progress achieved under the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan on Science and Technology.

2. Modification of the Mission Statement - by the see-era.net Balkan Forum:

The Balkan Forum of the see-era.net project met in Königswinter/Bonn on October 18, 2006 and discussed the Mission Statement based on the last modification seen above as well as operational procedures of the Steering Platform. The following modifications have been suggested:

The Platform facilitates the interaction between the Western Balkan Countries, the EU member states, the candidate countries and other states associated to the EU Framework Programme for RTD and the European Commission. Its main objective is to support the enhanced integration of the WBCs in the European RTD cooperation activities. It is a strategic body to deal with European, multilateral and regional issues of Science and Technology policies in and with the WBCs. It acts as an information exchange centre, clearing house for joint ideas and activities, and coordination forum for needs, suggestions and proposals of the WBCs to the European Commission and vice versa. In this spirit, the Platform continues and intensifies the progress achieved under the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan on Science and Technology.

3. Modification of the Mission Statement - by Klaus Schuch & Elke Dall, ZSI

As the "coordination forum for needs, suggestions and proposals" is also targeted towards the EU Member States and not only towards the European Commission, the Mission Statement was further enhanced in this regard:

The Platform facilitates the interaction between the Western Balkan Countries, the EU member states, the candidate countries and other states associated to the EU Framework Programme for RTD and the European Commission. Its main objective is to support the enhanced integration of the WBCs in the European RTD cooperation activities. It is a strategic body to deal with European, multilateral and regional issues of Science and Technology policies in and with the WBCs. It acts as an information exchange centre, clearing house for joint ideas and activities, and coordination forum for needs, suggestions and proposals of the WBCs to the EU27 and the European Commission and vice versa. In this spirit, the Platform continues and intensifies the progress achieved under the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan on Science and Technology.

4. Modification of the Mission Statement - by the Steering Platform Meeting in Berlin, March 2007

The Platform facilitates the interaction between the Western Balkan Countries, the EU member states, the candidate countries and other states associated to the EU Framework Programme for RTD and the European Commission. Its main objective is to support the enhanced integration of the WBCs in the European RTD cooperation activities in the light of the policy concept of the ERA. It is a strategic body to deal with European, multilateral and regional issues of Science and Technology policies in and with the WBCs. It acts as an information exchange centre, clearing house for joint ideas and activities, and coordination forum for needs, suggestions and proposals of the WBCs to the European Commission, the EU27, Candidate Countries (CC) and the countries associated to FP7 (AC) and vice versa. In this spirit, the Platform continues and intensifies the progress achieved under the EU-Balkan Countries Action Plan on Science and Technology especially in regard to the 7th Research Framework Programme.