March 5-8 | Brussels
Visit of the President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Sulejman Tihic.
Schedule:
Monday 6 March
10:30- meeting with His Majesty, King Albert II
15:00- meeting with Belgian prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt
Tuesday, 7 March-
15:30- meeting with the Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn
Wednesday 8 March-
9:45- meeting with SG NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
15:00- meeting with HR/SG Javier Solana

March 6 | Brussels
Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European Countries by the CIA for transportation and illegal detention of prisoners.
Exchange of views with Anne-Marie LIZIN, President of the Senate of Belgium, President of the Parliamentary Committee in charge of the follow-up of the activities of the Permanent Committee monitoring the intelligence services.
Brussels, European Parliament, room ASP 3G2 - 16.20-17.30

March 6 | Brussels
European Parliament delegation to European Union-Croatia joint parliamentary committee meets.

March 6 | Brussels
Public hearing of the ethnic minorities in the Kosovo status talks. participants include: Mr V. Surroi, member of the Kosovar Albanian negotiating team, Mr D. Batakovic, Advisor to the Serbian President Tadic, A representative of the UN Negotiating team of Mr M. Ahtisaari (t.b.c.) Mr R. Kawczinsky, European Roma & Travellers Forum. Venue: European Parliament.

March 8 Brussels
Reconciliation through Education - Presentation of South-Eastern European History Workbooks 12.30 - 15.00 h - Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung EU-Office, 38 Rue du Taciturne, 1000 Brussels
Short background:
The Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe (CDRSEE) is creating teaching materials and developing an outreach programme as part of an ongoing Joint History Project for Southeast Europe. The CDRSEE has been active in the field of history education since 1998 as part of its overall goal to bring reconciliation and consolidate new democracies, by raising awareness of stereotypes, and increasing understanding of the perspective of the neighbouring 'other'. This project primarily targets history teachers in Albania , Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, FYR of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia & Montenegro (including Kosovo), Slovenia, and Turkey who participate in teacher training workshops to practice multi-perspective teaching methods.

March 8 | Brussels
EU Troika meeting with candidate countries: Macedonia, Croatia and Turkey on questions related to human rights.
The Troika is composed by representatives from the European Commission, European Council, current Presidency and next Presidency.

March 8-9 | Brussels
The President of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Marovic visits Brussels.
Schedule
Wednesday 8 March:
16.30: Meeting with Belgian Parliament (Chambre des Représentants, President Herman De Croo), followed by a press meeting.
Thursday 9 March:
10.30 Meeting with His Majesty Albert II
13.00 Working lunch with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
14.15 Press point (15min)
15.30 Meeting with EUHR Javier Solana

March 10-11 | Salzburg
EU-Western Balkans Forum: informal meeting of EU foreign ministers including ministers from the Western Balkans.

March 13 | Strasbourg
Khalid El-Masri to testify in the Temporary Committee of the European Parliament on the secret detentions of the CIA in European Countries.
Khalid El-Masri is a German citizen who was kidnapped by error in Macedonia on 31.12.2003, later transferred to Afghanistan where he was tortured. When the secret services realized he was not Khalid Al-Masri, an Al-Qaeda mentor, he was released in Albania.
On this day he will testify in front of the Committee of the EP, but it is not yet known whether it will be behind closed doors or not.
For more details on El-Masri case click here.

March 14 | Brussels
Young serbo-montenegrin cinema: projection of the documentary `Pretty Diana` and discussion with the director, Boris Mitic. Projection of other short movies.
Espace delvaux, Place Keym - 1170 Brussels.
more details at http://www.yu-film.tk

March 15-16 | Strasbourg
European Parliament debate and vote on the enlargement strategy for the Western Balkans and the Montenegro referendum.

`The European Union should must keep its promises to candidate countries and possible candidate countries but it should also take into account the absorption capacity of the EU` says the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the EP.
The Commission should propose a close multilateral relationship to all European countries which currently have no recognised `membership perspective`. Countries which do have such a perspective should be free to join this multilateral framework as an intermediate step towards full membership. The report is Parliament's response to the Commission's 2005 enlargement strategy paper.
The rapporteur, Elmar BROK, also wants the Commission to pay more attention to the legitimate concerns of the European public regarding enlargement and the integration of new members in general. Such an assessment should also take into account the necessary budgetary resources for future enlargements and the fact that the stalemate in the ratification process of the EU Constitutional Treaty is actually not increasing the European Union's absorption capacity. Furthermore, the report stresses theneed for improved regional cooperation e.g. in the Balkans and other areas neighbouring the European Union.
For more details, click here
Check the report on the strategy paper on progress in the enlargement process here
The debate will start at 5pm on March 15th
The vote will take place at 12pm on March 16th

March 16-17 Vienna
`Strengthening Education in Europe` - Informal meeting of EU education ministers, with participation of education ministers from Western Balkans countries and Switzerland

March 17 | Brussels
Meeting of the Advisory Committee of the European Commission's DG Internal market with participation of the candidate countries: Macedonia, Croatia, Turkey.

March 20-21 | Croatia
European Union-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee meets (with members of the Committee of the Regions)

March 20-21 | Brussels

GAERC:General Affairs and External Relations Council, under the presidency of Mrs Ursula Plassnik, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria. Relations with the Western Balkans to be discussed.

For the Western Balkans, the Council is expected to adopt conclusions focusing on the follow-up to the informal EU-Western Balkans meeting in Salzburg (11.03). It is expected to underline its determination to fully implement the commitments given in the Thesaloniki agenda and welcome the Commission's Communication: `The Western Balkans on the road to the EU: consolidating stability and raising prosperity`

For Bosnia and Herzegovina: progress made on the negotiations for Stabilization and Association Agreement since the opening of the negotiations in November 2005, conditions for further progress including achieving full co-operation with ICTY, progress made in the talks in constitutional reforms.

For Serbia and Montenegro, the Council is expected to express support for the Serbian people in their quest to come to terms with the legacy of Milosevic regime. It should recall the conclusions of Feb.27th that full co-operation with ICTY must be achieved to ensure that SAA negotiations are not disrupted and that Serbia and Montenegro needs to bring fugitive indictees to ICTY.

March 21 | Vienna
EU Troika-Albania : General Affairs and External Relations.

March 21-23 | Brussels

Visit of the Macedonian Prime Minister, Mr Vlado Buckovski
21.03 - Arrival
22.03 - North Atlantic Council and meeting with NATO Secretary General, Mr Scheffer.
23.03 - Meeting at the EU with MEP's Elmar Brok, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and with EU High Representative, Javier Solana.

March 22 | Brussels
Lecture of Chris Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University and President of International Crisis Group: `Making European Foreign Policy`
Venue: KBC Bank, Brussels. From 18:00 to 22:00

March 23 Brussels
`EU Visa Regime in the Western Balkans: A Generation in Isolation`

Gisela Kallenbach MEP

March 23-24 | Brussels
European Union Summit

March 20-24 | Vilnius
Second European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) orientation course open to candidate countries, non-EU countries and internatinal organisations. The course is organized by the New European Security and Defence College. This second course will be hosted by Lithuania and France and is intended for eastern European countries.

March 27-28 | Brussels

European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Forum on Civil Society in the Western Balkans. This Forum is part of the work of the Western Balkans Contact Group created by the EESC in 2004. It will provide an initial opportunity for EESC members, representatives of civil society organisations from the Western Balkans and the various European institutions to exchange views on the situation, needs and future of civil society in the region.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will organise the first Western Balkans Civil Society Forum at its premises in Brussels on the 27th and 28th of March 2006. The aim of this conference is to assess the situation of organised civil society in the region and to engage in a dialogue on the promotion of consultative function and social dialogue. This Forum will also define common activities for the years 2006 and 2007.
Over the last few years the EESC has been increasingly involved in matters that concern Western Balkans. Bringing together representatives of various economic and social components of organised civil society, the Committee follows the development of civil society in this region with great interest.
The Western Balkans Civil Society Forum will bring together around 200 participants, including delegates from Western Balkans civil society organizations, members of the EESC, representatives of Economic and Social Councils of European countries, representatives of EU institutions, the diplomatic corps, international socio-professional organizations (employers, trade unions, farmers, consumers) and NGOs. Click here for the schedule

March 27-29 | Strasbourg

Seminar for senior administrators of the Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro

The first event in a two-year joint programme with the European Agency for Reconstruction, aimed at supporting parliamentary institutions in Serbia and Montenegro, the seminar will cover many of the Council of Europe's instruments and mechanisms and will include a visit to the European Parliament.

March 28-29 | Skopje
Non-formal technical discussions between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Union on the facilitation of the visa regime.

March 30 | Brussels
EPC-KBF Policy Dialogue on Bosnia-Herzegovina: the road ahead
Prime minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Adnan Terzic will participate in the dialogue. In the context on the current debate on the EU's policy towards the Western
Balkan countries, it is important to look at progress so far as well as the
challenges that lie ahead, including the issue of indicted war criminals and
dependence on international and European assistance. The Bosnian Court system
serves as a model for the region and is showing its capacity and increasing
willingness to prosecute war crimes at the highest international standards.

Michael Johnson, registrar of the Court of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, has agreed to take part in this dialogue.

The event will take place from 16.00 to 17.30 (registration from 15.45) in the
Résidence Palace, Maelbeek room, 155 Rue de la Loi, 1040 Brussels and will be followed by a cocktail.

March 30 | Brussels
Adnan TERZIC, Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina visits Commissioner Olli REHN

March 31 | Brussels
Carla del Ponte reports to the EU about the collaboration of Serbia and Montenegro with ICTY.

March 31 | Brussels

Second International Donors' Conference for support of the judiciary institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The War Crimes Chamber Project was launched in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2003 to build national capacity to prosecute War Crimes Cases including cases to be transferred to the Bosnia and Herzegovina by ICTY to facilitate the ICTY completion strategy. At the donors’ conference in The Hague in 2003 donors pledged approximately 16 million Euros for the first two years of the project. In 2005 the ICTY transferred 2 accused to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the largest genocide cases in history for crimes committed in the Srebrenica area is now being processed by the Court. Complex organized crime and corruption cases are also before the Court. Without justice and effective rule of law there can be no sustainable peace and reconciliation.The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina will host a Conference with the support of the EC Directorate General for Enlargement to present to the international community the considerable accomplishments made by the Justice Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The partnership between the Bosnia and Herzegovina Justice Sector and the International Community over the last years will strengthen the State Institutions and enhance the rule of law implementation. This is central for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards the EU and part of its current successful negotiations on the Stabilisation and Accession Agreement. Further funding and the ongoing support of the international community will be sought and discussions will also focus on the development of a Justice Sector Reform Strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, the urgent need for construction of a maximum security Prison in the country will be addressed.

For this purpose Bosnia and Herzegovina needs 43 million euros with which it would finance among others the construction if the national prison. The delegation to Brussels will be led by Prime Minister Adnan Terzic, minister of Justice Slobodan Kovac, President of the Tribunal of BH Meddzida Kreso, Chief Prosecutor Marinko Jurcevic, Minister of Finance Ljerka Maric and Director of the directorate for European Integration Osman Topcagic. The conference will be attended by 20 donor countries and 30 potential donor countries.
The conference will take place in the European Commission building Berlaymont, rue de la Loi, 200 at 13h.