Subregional cooperation in South-Eastern Europe, emanating from the region itself since 1980s　and strongly promoted by such international community as the EU after the Dayton Peace　Agreement (1995), contributes to the stability and security of the Euro-Atlantic area. There is a　synergy between the subregional process and wider European integration. The purpose of this　paper is to examine how internal regional initiatives have evolved and what direction they are most　likely to take, and to explore the specific role of external initiatives to the region.
The object of the first section is to give an up-to-date summary of what is known about the　subregional cooperation in South-Eastern Europe. The following section 2 explains the history　and legacy of region-building efforts in the region. The main subject of section 3 is economic and　geopolitic strategic motivations of the countries of the region. The meeting of the foreign　ministers of South-Eastern European countries in Sofia (1996) launched the process of　comprehensive multilateral cooperation, described as the "South Eastern European Cooperation　Process" or the "Sofia Process." The first summit of heads of state was organized in Crete in　November 1997. In section 4, I consider the major functions of externally-driven regional　approaches, such as Royaumont Process for Stability and Good Neighborliness in South-Eastern　Europe based on EU initiative, Southeast European Cooperative Initiative led by United States of　America, and the comprehensive framework based on the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe　(1999).　And the last section 5 focuses on a recent multilateral cooperation process (Southeast　European Co-operation Process) in the period from 1999 to 2004.