The Thirty-Second Meeting of the Committee was held in Belgrade on 8-9 October 2008. The members discussed a Draft Report and Draft Recommendation on “15 years of Black Sea Economic Cooperation: the political aspects of deepening of economic cooperation”.   

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation underlines the utmost importance of deepening of economic cooperation through the best use of available possibilities and resources to promote and consolidate the regional cooperation with the aim to turn the Black Sea into a sea of peace, stability and prosperity, good neighborly relations, mutual respect and dialogue. The Parliamentary Assembly notes with satisfaction that the Black Sea Economic Cooperation has served as an effective tool for increasing dynamism and strengthening practical approach in the development of the regional cooperation.

The Committee also discussed the issues of further cooperation with the European Parliament, including principles of formation of the permanent PABSEC delegation for cooperation with the European Parliament, proposal by Hellenic delegation on setting up the Euro-Black Sea Parliamentary Assembly, and the parliamentary dimension of the BSEC-EU interaction. In this respect, the Committee approved the draft Terms of Reference of the Permanent Delegation for Cooperation between the PABSEC and the European Parliament to be submitted to the Meeting of the Standing Committee in Chisinau on 3 November 2008.

The participants also took note of the results of the Second Meeting of the Ad hoc Group of Experts on BSEC-EU Interaction, held in Athens on 26 September 2008.

The members of the Committee elected Mr. Borislav Ralchev (Bulgaria) and Mr. Serhiy Podhorny (Ukraine) Vice-Chairmen of the Committee for the term of two years until October 2010.

The Thirty-Third Meeting of the Committee will take place in Turkey either in the late early April - May 2009. The main item on the Agenda will be “Migration in the BSEC Member States: Legal aspects” and the Rapporteur on the subject will be Mr. Paata Davitaia (Georgia).