As the entity responsible for promoting, coordinating and monitoring regional cooperation processes in South East Europe, the RCC particularly focuses on energy and infrastructure, as the most important prerequisites for the overall economic, social and environmental development, stability and prosperity of the region.

The RCC Secretariat monitors Energy Community development and provides political support in overcoming bottlenecks in its implementation. It also promotes sustainable energy development in the region. Transfer of knowledge from EU member States on the sustainable energy projects preparation, development, financing scheme and implementation is crucial for the success of this initiative.

The RCC contributes to the preparation and implementation of the EU-initiated Danube Region Strategy promoting the inter-sectoral collaboration, “bottom-up” approach and cooperating primarily with local authorities associations, civil society and media.

Due to a continuous increase of traffic accidents and casualties in the region, the RCC Secretariat focuses on the road safety, promoting a multi-sector approach alongside the inclusion of different level stakeholders. The RCC Secretariat contributes to mobilizing the expertise to develop air traffic links within the region. It additionally works to explore the potential to support intermodality and interoperability with a view to ensure sustainable and competitive mobility in South East Europe.

Promoting regional initiatives to the business community is of particular significance taking into account that the region is facing an important investment challenge to improve energy, transport and environmental infrastructure. The RCC Secretariat encourages regional countries to coordinate their efforts in making a better use of available support for regional cooperation processes, primarily through the Multi-Beneficiary (MB) Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) Programme, with the RCC Secretariat being actively involved in the work of the MB IPA Strategy Working Groups.

Participation in the International Financial Institutions (IFI) Advisory Group and its technical working groups enables the RCC to serve as an interface between policy-makers, the IFIs, business community and social partners, as well as an instrument for information exchange for both the South East European countries and the IFIs. As an observer in the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) Steering Committee, the RCC play a role in the process of identification of projects eligible for the WBIF support and its subsequent implementation. The identification is primarily based on Trans European Networks (TEN) criteria, economic and environmental viability and the completed, as well as ongoing and planned, regional studies and relevant findings.

Due to huge potentials of Danube and Sava rivers, largely unused, the RCC Secretariat provides support to the Danube Cooperation Process and the International Sava River Basin Commission.

Taking into account that energy and transport sectors are major pollutants as regards local, trans-boundary and global pollution, the RCC Secretariat provides relevant inputs and cooperates with the Regional Environmental Centre, with a particular focus on Regional Environmental Network for Accession (RENA) activities.

RCC and Regional Initiatives and Task Forces in South East Europe

• Infrastructure and Energy