National Coordinators from RCC members from South East Europe (SEE) held their first meeting in 2009 in Sarajevo today, to discuss the most recent RCC activities.

The RCC Secretary General Hido Biscevic informed the Coordinators about his contacts with the EU and the European Commission in particular, in light of the current economic and financial situation and implications for SEE. The need for a more coherent and coordinated approach to the crisis was strongly emphasized.

The Coordinators reviewed future steps in the process of networking between the RCC members from SEE and the RCC Secretariat, with the participation of the European Commission and relevant international financial institutions, aimed at identifying and developing possible concrete cooperation projects in the five priority areas of RCC activities.

They also continued talks on regional cooperation priorities and the level of harmonization of national activities and strategies with the RCC Strategic Work Programme 2008-2009 as well as with the EU’s Multi-beneficiary IPA Programme 2008 priorities.

The Coordinators worked to identify possible specific cooperation areas and to develop concrete projects within the RCC framework, including regional responses to the international financial crisis and a proposal for establishing South East Europe Investment Bank (SEEIB).