Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Hido Biščević, and Secretary General of the Central European Initiative Executive Secretariat (CEI-ES), Ambassador Pietro Ercole Ago, signed in Sarajevo today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that formalized cooperation between the two institutions.

The MoU will provide a general framework for enhancing project-oriented cooperation between the RCC Secretariat and the CEI-ES on issues of interest for South East Europe, transfer of know-how, seminars and training courses. It will enable the RCC Secretariat and the CEI-ES to carry out jointly a number of activities taking advantage of available funds and expertise, as well as assuring the best use of the existing cooperative network.

A joint “Sustainable Energy Development Regional Initiative – SEDRI” will be the first project launched within the cooperative framework defined by the MoU. The SEDRI is aimed at establishing a framework for cooperation as well as at supporting the elaboration of concrete actions and projects in sustainable energy development. The initiative is expected to improve legislative, institutional and regulatory frameworks and to promote the construction of small-scale sustainable energy facilities in South East and East Europe. It should contribute significantly to increasing energy efficiency and to promoting use of renewable energy sources in the region.