8. Stresses that all parties concerned must make serious efforts to find mutually acceptable solutions to outstanding bilateral disputes between Member States and countries of the Western Balkans and among countries of the Western Balkans themselves; stresses in this context that good-neighbourly relations and acceptance of the respective cultural and historic heritage are extremely important for preserving peace and enhancing stability and security; believes that the opening of accession negotiations with the countries of the Western Balkans and the opening and closing of individual negotiation chapters should not be obstructed or blo ...[+++]cked over questions relating to bilateral disputes and that, for this reason, countries should agree on procedures for solving bilateral issues before the start of accession negotiations;

7. Stresses that all parties concerned must make serious efforts to find mutually acceptable solutions to outstanding bilateral disputes between EU Member States and countries of the Western Balkans and among countries of the Western Balkans themselves; stresses in this context that good-neighbourly relations and acceptance of the respective cultural and historic heritage are extremely important for preserving peace and enhancing stability and security; believes that the opening of accession negotiations with the countries of the Western Balkans and the opening and closing of individual negotiation chapters should not be obstructed or ...[+++]blocked over questions relating to bilateral disputes and that, for this reason, countries should agree on procedures for solving bilateral issues before the start of accession negotiations;

12. Welcomes the inclusion of the Western Balkan countries in the Erasmus Mundus and Tempus programmes; calls on those countries to establish the national agencies necessary in order to take part in the Lifelong Learning Programmes (LLL), namely Comenius, Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci; calls on the Commission to use the IPA funds to waive the full fee paid by the Western Balkan states to participate in the LLL Programmes, as is already the case with Erasmus Mundus and Tempus; calls for increased cooperation and improved possibilities for cross-border exchanges for students, teachers and researchers from the Western Balkan states and the EU in order to familiarise the people and institutions of the Western Balkan states with the EU agenda ...[+++] and to strengthen educational skills; points out, however, the massive rate of brain drain among young people in Western Balkans and stresses the need to encourage return migration;

15. Suggests that Member States offer the Western Balkan countries so-called government-to-government programmes which give these countries specific assistance, training and coaching in their national departments on areas that are explicitly requested by the authorities of the Western Balkan states; underlines that these programmes can play an important role in implementing the EU acquis in the region while they offer the Western Balkan states the possibility to specify the exact forms of assistance they need;

15. Suggests that Member States offer the Western Balkan countries so-called government-to-government programmes which give these countries specific assistance, training and coaching in their national departments on areas that are explicitly requested by the authorities of the Western Balkan states; underlines that these programmes can play an important role in implementing the EU acquis in the region while they offer the Western Balkan states the possibility to specify the exact forms of assistance they need;

The European Council of 19 and 20 June 2003 adopted the ‘Thessaloniki Agenda for the Western Balkans: Moving towards European integration’, which invited the Western Balkan countries to participate in Community programmes and agencies; therefore, the Western Balkans countries should be recognised as potential participants in Community programmes.