Informal settlements are a major concern to southern European countries and in particular also to Kosovo. Various initiatives in informal settlements regularisation have been pioneered by the governments and it is important to share these experiences and concerns, including the integration of the proposed regularisation programs into the overall bigger spatial planning framework.

Kosovo has signed the "Vienna Declaration on Informal Settlements in South Eastern Europe", committing itself to undertake measures to address informal settlement issues and to initiate and implement reforms in the wider scope of sustainable urban development and social housing. The government of Kosovo has developed policy measures focusing on integrating the 174 identified Informal settlements in Kosovo into the formal spatial planning system, aiming at the complete regularisation of informal settlements by the year 2015, as agreed to in the Vienna Declaration. This process is also included in a structural reform process designed to lead the countries of the Western Balkans towards ultimate accession to the European Union.

The proposed approach to informal settlements is two-tracked, focusing on "regularisation and prevention" as part of an integrated urban planning agenda. To tackle the phenomenon in a sustainable manner, it is emphasised that both legal and regulatory frameworks and relevant programs need to simultaneously address the regularisation and improvement of the existing physical conditions in informal settlements and also the prevention of future informal settlements. Local planning and infrastructures' improvements are a decisive next step for Kosovo municipalities, although the process is long and the sources of funding are uncertain.

In the effort to establish a framework for capacity building, technical assistance and investments, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, OSCE and UN-HABITAT joined forces and have organised a number of parallel activities, including roundtable debates, guidelines and cross-border co-operation and exchange for the transfer of successful initiatives. In this context, UN-Habitat has brought together housing and urban management specialists from Kosovo to conduct a study visit in Thessaloniki, Greece from the 29^th to 31^st of May.

During the visit an exchange of experiences took place with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of Thessaly and their spatial planning and landscape planning and design departments as well as with the Urban planning authorities in Thessaloniki. In a meeting at the University of Thessaloniki, former Vice-President of Thessaloniki's Spatial Planning authority, Prof. Aspa Gospodini, contextualised the informal housing phenomenon within the spatial planning development of Thessaloniki; while Prof. Ioannis Tsalikidis has focused on the Green infrastructures networks to reconnect existing nature areas and improve the overall ecological quality of the broader connectivity systems in the region. Finally, Prof. Athena Yiannakou emphasized the Greek experience in managing informal settlements and the main lessons learned from planning reforms.

Following the programme for the event, a visit to Thessaloniki Planning authorities and vivid discussion took place, and the study visits were held to the green infrastructures and also to three informal settlements ('Polichni', a previous informal housing area of working classes that has been regulated; 'Nea Efkarpia, Efxinoupoli' recently developed - and not yet regulated - informal housing area of low income ethnic groups immigrated in Greece in the 90s and 'Neo Ryssio', a middle and upper-middle class residential area with low densities and dispersed housing that exhibits small-to-medium informal overdevelopment of private land).

A very concise and relevant UN-Habitat publication on the issue of Informal settlements regularisation efforts in Albania and Greece, was handed out to all participants and is available for download at this address:-

http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=3000