EU-Balkans conference opens in Sarajevo

The event is sponsored by the Spanish presidency of the EU.

Regional foreign ministers are expected to convince representatives of the European Union, United States of America, Russia, Turkey and international organizations that the relations in the region are making progress.

At the same time, the region countries will receive a clear message of support to their Euro-Atlantic integrations.

Integration of the countries of South East Europe into the EU, regional cooperation, relations among neighboring countries, implementation of reforms in the region states, as well as consequences of the world economic crisis will be discussed at the meeting.

One key question that threatened to turn the gathering into a fiasco was the status of the Kosovo Albanian delegation. Belgrade insisted that Serbia's sovereignty be respected by insuring that the Pristina delegation's presence does not violate UN Resolution 1244.

It was announced last month that participants would not be represented by flags or state emblems - but under the so-called Gymnich format, with only their personal names displayed.

Because the conference's revised format - it will follow the so-called Gymnic formula -the conference cannot issue a formal declaration.

Instead, a statement by the Spanish EU-presidency is to be issued. That statement is not expected to contain accession timelines or roadmaps.

The Gymnich formula gets its name from a palace near Cologne, Germany, where European ministers in 1974 began routinely meeting for informal and non-binding exchanges of views.