Documents & Publications
South-East Europe 2030 Strategy: State of Play in 2024 Third Annual Interim Implementation Report
17 MARCH 2025 | REPORT
The Third Annual Interim Report on the Implementation of the South East Europe (SEE) 2030 Strategy assesses regional progress toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from June 2023 to December 2024. Centered on the theme of human security, the report examines economic, social, environmental, and governance factors affecting citizens' well-being, resilience, and overall security. It evaluates efforts to foster sustainable economic growth, reduce poverty and inequality, enhance social inclusion, empower women, address depopulation, and accelerate green and digital transitions while strengthening competitiveness and private sector development. The report also highlights key challenges, regional cooperation initiatives, disaster preparedness, digital inclusion, and human capital development. It provides recommendations for improving the SEE 2030 Strategy’s implementation, ensuring a more resilient and inclusive future for the region.
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Speech by RCC Secretary General as a guest lecturer at Faculty of Political Science of University of Sarajevo
03 FEBRUARY 2025 | SPEECH
RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanovic was a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science of University of Sarajevo on 3 February 2025.
Lecture was titled: Growth Plan for the Western Balkans: Walking the Talk – Regional Cooperation in Action.
Kapetanovic’s speech highlighted the critical need for regional cooperation in the Western Balkans to drive economic growth and EU integration. He reflected on key milestones that have shaped the region’s progress, emphasizing that the importance of significant results—such as ID-based travel, a roaming-free zone, and increased trade—have been achieved, deeper transformation is still needed. The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, backed by €6 billion from the EU, offers a unique opportunity for the region to integrate economically before full EU membership. However, this requires governance reforms, a stronger rule of law, and a commitment to digital and green transitions. Kapetanovic also stressed that cooperation is not just political—it is essential for creating jobs, retaining talent, and securing a prosperous future.
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Speech by RCC SG at Empower. Integrate. Grow. Conference panel titled “Moving Forward: Supporting Regional Integration and Integration with the EU”
28 JANUARY 2025 | SPEECH
RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanovic’s speech at the high level "Empower. Integrate. Grow." conference held in Becici on 28 January 2025 highlighted the Western Balkans' commitment to deeper regional and EU integration through the Common Regional Market 2.0 (CRM 2.0). He emphasized three strategic pillars: Empowering the Region, by investing in human capital, workforce mobility, and innovation to curb brain drain and enhance competitiveness; Integrating Economies, by removing trade barriers, improving the business climate, and boosting sustainable investments; and Growing Together, by accelerating digital transformation, expanding connectivity, and aligning with EU digital standards. Kapetanovic urged collective action to harness the region’s potential, ensuring a competitive, sustainable, and future-ready Western Balkans.
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Annual Report of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council 2023-2024
13 JUNE 2024 | REPORT
The Annual Report of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) covers the period May 2023 – May 2024. It outlines main RCC activities and achievements in the past year. It also lays out the overall background and crucial developments impacting and shaping the activities of the RCC and the region of South East Europe in the reporting period.
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South-East Europe 2030 Strategy: State of Play in 2023 Second Annual Interim Implementation Report
13 MARCH 2024 | REPORT
This Second Annual Interim Report on implementation of the SEE 2030 Strategy has been drafted in accordance with the monitoring cycle adopted by the SEE 2030 Monitoring Committee. The purpose of the Report is to provide an overview and assess the state of play of regional efforts toward meeting the SDG targets. Moreover, the Report reflects on the regional and global developments that have impacted or may impact the performance of SEE Economies.
The reporting period of the Second Annual Interim Implementation Report is 1 June 2022- 31 May 2023.
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South-East Europe 2030 Strategy: State of Play Interim Implementation Report
12 MARCH 2024 | REPORT
This report presents an interim account of the state of play regarding the implementation of SEE2030 Strategy prior to the publishing of the first AIR in December 2022. The interim report seeks to provide the MC with an overview of the progress recorded and challenges faced in the implementation of SEE2030 to facilitate its overall steering of the Strategy. The report furthermore sets to out a concise summary of key developments regarding
the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) – related priorities of SEE 2030 and the progress achieved within each of its dimensions and priorities. This part will take the role to substitute the quantitative and qualitative monitoring and to underscore the relevance of the challenges confronted to the existing priorities of SEE2030 with the purpose to pave the way for the first biennial updating of the Strategy by June 2023. The interim report also provides a short summary of the activities undertaken by the RCC Secretariat based on the mandate granted by the MC and gives an account on their current state of play. The last part of the report includes a set of recommendations to address the corresponding challenges particularly the ones related to the monitoring and implementation of SEE2030.
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REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE REGIONAL COOPERATION COUNCIL SECRETARIAT for the period 1 November 2022 – 1 March 2023
15 MARCH 2023 | REPORT
Report on the activities of the Regional Cooperation Council Secretariat for the period 1 November 2022 – 1 March 2023 was presented by the RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu at the 48th RCC Board meeting on 15 March 2023 in Sarajevo.
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RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu in a podcast on next Western Balkans Digital Summit
01 OCTOBER 2021 | SPEECH
"'One market for all 6 is under construction and we already have the base.
A roaming free Western Balkans as of first of July. While travelling in the EU from the Balkans we pay 43 times higher in roaming than others.
Thus, the ultimate goal is to have the roaming prices between the Western Balkans and EU gradually reduced and closer to the domestic ones in the next five years. So, we are already working on this," - said RCC Secretary General Malinda Bregu ahead of the Western Balkans Digital Summit, from 11-13th October in Podgorica on digital transformation in the region and future digital agendas.
RCC Secretary General for Montenegrian Vijesti: “Knowing the right people” does not lead to the EU
26 JULY 2021 | INTERVIEW
RCC Secretary General gave an interview for Montenegrian Vijesti
"We know, Regional cooperation will prevail on the strength of its ideas and ideals, not on the disputes and the name of documents. We know economies of the region will be competitive when it should be, collaborative when it must be. We just hope those will be adversarial only when this is inevitable.
The prospect of eventual EU membership has been a driving force during all these years for all Western Balkan economies and background against which many common initiatives in the region were undertaken. For us dealing with regional cooperation it has been the predominant factor in urging the Western Balkans to engage with one another in a more positive manner as well as address not only the domestic problems they face, but also the unresolved issues in the region. I keep hearing yet whether WB is a geopolitical priority for EU. As long as this might be a farfetched question, is not a question of choice BUT of necessity, imperative and vision. One that begs just one sole answer - it must," said RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu for Montenegrian Vijesti.
Talking Points by Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, Majlinda Bregu at Western Balkans Berlin Process Summit
05 JULY 2021 | SPEECH
Talking Points by Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Majlinda Bregu at the Western Balkans Berlin Process Summit.
Berlin Summit gathered EU representatives and Western Balkans leaders to talk on Regional Cooperation and Common Regional Market.
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