One decade after the adoption of Dayton Peace Accords and two years after the dual EU and NATO enlargement the region of the Western Balkans faces some crucial challenges, which decisively affect its further development. The issue of the increasingly loose federation of Serbia and Montenegro (S-M), the issue of Kosovo, as well as that of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B-H) are three cases, all on the top of the agenda. The MAP countries are closer to membership than they have ever been, Bulgaria and Romania are practically EU members, and Croatia and Macedonia are proceeding along the road to membership, while both S-M and B-H still remain outside the PfP.

With both the EU and NATO firmly present in the region, how could we see the current role of the OSCE and its soft security mechanisms and advantages in the region?

Being the biggest of all its missions, the Kosovo one has been successfully managing the complicated and complex interest heterogeneity in the international framework provided by the UN SC 1244 resolution. The transformation of UNMIK offers an additional challenge to be mastered by the OSCE experts, while struggling to enhance the institution building, confidence and security building measures and the crucial role of the civil society. The latter is perhaps also one of the key arguments for enhancement of the organization.s role in B-H. This goes along the demanding, deep and tough process of the security sector reform, with special emphasis on both defense and police areas. However, it is the discussion about the future B-H constitution, which overshadows all other topics. Last but not least, one possible outcome of the May referendum in Montenegro could be the newest OSCE field mission in Podgorica. Again, we face three issues where expertise and advice of the OSCE will remain not only indispensable, but also highly preferable and welcome.

We argue this above all with huge, useful and proven field experience, which is one of the biggest advantages the organization has. It is primarily up to the organization itself how to benefit even more from it and how to include its empirical expertise in its relations with other international fora in the very theatre. We could additionally argue that the OSCE is in the position to step ahead in the field and complement the activities of NATO and the EU. While the former is managing hard security challenges, heading with the demanding process of defense reforms, the latter is achieving this with overall restructuring of the societies in the region. This provides clear maneuvering space for not only successful establishment but also the development of civil society mechanisms and related value systems, with one top message in particular: in spite of the historically dominant value of conflict as a means of solving open issues, consensus is the one which should stand out. It is our firm belief that this shift could be achieved primarily as a result of the OSCE activities.

Increasing cooperation with the EU and NATO as well as with the Council of Europe (CoE) shows how to cement the way forward. One could say that the complementarity of the security processes in the Northern hemisphere has been finally laid down. This is even more true having in mind the successful and efficient field synergy of all three OSCE dimensions, which is one of the outstanding achievements of the previous year.s Slovene Chairmanship. Bringing together economic and migration issues as well as launching the Education for Rights of Children Pilot Project proves the necessity and the expectation for a combined matrix approach. In an ever demanding and complex world only such an approach could bring added value and renewed interest to our activities. Perhaps one could also argue that it would be our interest and care for children, elderly and disabled, expressed through well thought projects, which could attract the necessary attention of political elites.

If the mentioned pilot project has achieved to bring together representatives of various ethnic groups in different places around the Western Balkans and if the experience of the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims are applicable through the OSCE area, this could be a lesson learned from the successful work of the OSCE in the region discussed.

This conclusion would have at least three important consequences.

First, it praises hard and usually widely unseen, but highly efficient, work of the OSCE experts and other field activists. This is for sure the organization.s advantage.

Second, it has already been transferable to other regions and this should be done even more, with new topics and a combined, refreshed approach. This has proven the organization.s vitality and flexibility.

And third, complementarity of the security processes in the mentioned area has gained momentum after last year.s Memorandum between the OSCE and the CoE. This presents an example of how to tackle soft security issues in an ever changing environment, where threats and challenges merge and cannot be tackled otherwise but with the joint effort of security players.

Ljubljana, 30 May, 2006

International Institute for Middle-East
and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) – Ljubljana

Directors:

Bakhtyar Aljaf

Zijad Becirovic, M.Sc.