Die Zukunft Südosteuropas – Herausforderung an die europäische und internationale Politik
The Future of Southeast-Europe. Challenges for the European and International Politics

Summary/Abstract: The text represents a speech by Erhard Busek on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft, celebrated on February 7, 2002, in Munich. Busek regards the chance for the contemporary Europeans to shape the future of Southeast Europe as a fascinating and positive challenge. He argues that the importance of the region for international politics has not diminished after September 11, 2001. Instruments of European crises management have been formed mostly by European experiences in Southeast Europe. Busek draws a short résumé after the two and a half years of the Stability Pact (SP) for Southeast Europe. Successful regional co-operation, he states, represents a kind of training camp for European integration. A cross-boundary fight against organised crime and free trade agreements being about to be established in the region are mentioned as successful projects of the SP. Yet, Busek appeals to the patience of partners in the SP, as good projects need time to be properly implemented. Southeast Europe represents a zone of immense cultural richness, deserves to be studied and needs investments in many ways. The existence of “left outs” in the process of European Integration is detrimental to the stability of Europe as a whole.

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