INTRODUCTION

Since its establishment, the RCC Secretariat has focused on developing working relationships with all relevant regional initiatives (RIs) and task forces (TFs). In Annex II of its Strategy and Work Programme 2011-2013 (available HERE), the RCC offers a comprehensive overview of those RIs and TFs which belong to its core or wider network. Each of them includes several South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) countries as well as countries outside the SEECP area, depending on the format of the initiative. Other factors differentiating among the RIs and TFs are their relevance for the RCC in respect of its operation, within the RCC framework or outside of it, as well as the intensity of mutual operational links established.

The overview comprises 40 regional entities, with the SEE Women Entrepreneurs Network being in a constitutive phase. The number of regional initiatives and task forces has dramatically increased since 2000, especially in the last couple of years. This reflects a strong demand in the region for a greater number of regional structures aimed at speeding up reforms, solving common horizontal problems or those of trans-boundary nature and reinforcing the regional component of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Having a broad regional perspective, the RCC has added value to streamlining, coordinating and informing different regional initiatives, while establishing itself as an important interlocutor with these structures and the international community. Given the varied stage of development of existing initiatives and structures, the RCC Secretariat has adjusted its level of involvement to match the needs of the specific initiatives and structures. In addition to existing cooperation mechanisms, the RCC is also building consensus for new regional initiatives and task forces and opening up new areas for regional cooperation.

The RCC will further consolidate the normative framework for regional cooperation taking account of existing RI/TFs. It has developed close relations with them and has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation. Other MoUs may follow.

The RCC will, in close cooperation with the SEECP, continue with the process of streamlining of regional taskforces and initiatives with the aim of achieving enhanced effectiveness, synergy and coherence. The key criteria for streamlining should be the effectiveness and added value of each regional taskforce or initiative. In this respect, at the initiative of the SEECP, the RCC is preparing proposals for concrete actions to be taken and will recommend possible future steps.

Initiatives by priority area:

• Economic and Social Development
• Infrastructure and Energy
• Justice and Home Affairs
• Security Cooperation
• Building Human Capital
• Parliamentary Cooperation