RCC Secretary General takes part at the EU-Western Balkans meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Berlin 

Berlin – The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, took part at the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Berlin Process that took place in German capital today. German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, praised the work of the RCC and its Secretary General Majlinda Bregu, emphasizing their crucial contribution to the implementation of the Common Regional Market Action Plan.

“Drawing the line after 10 years of Berlin Process I can say that there is a lot to be proud of in terms of concrete advancements and manifested impact through our regional cooperation agendas. The uninterrupted critical supplies’ flow during the pandemic and beyond, the green lanes are now a reality not only within the Balkans, but extended already with EU; 19% increase of trade in goods and services; doubling of intra-regional trade volume (goods) in 5 years; whooping 500% increase of volume of usage of roaming within WB; nearly 1,200 new companies participated in intra-regional trade; facilitated workforce mobility and addressed evolving labour market dynamics and demographic shifts with the higher education qualifications and seven professions mutually recognised. All this known and unknown, resulted in 82% of Western Balkan citizens supporting regional cooperation,” said Bregu at the meeting. 

"RCC, at whose helm I had the honour to serve in the past six years, spearheaded the work on a Common Regional Market as a key unifying and by far the most elaborate regional cooperation and integration framework. It demonstrated what  a true Regional Market could be like, offering also a glimpse of the potentials of the Single Market. Yet the remaining barriers, political blockages or unmet commitments, along with the still vast unharnessed potentials, are also part of the same balance book that the region must seek to tackle,” added Bregu emphasizing that the RCC, together with partners, is working on CRM 2 Action Plan, whose endorsement is expected at the Berlin Process Summit later this month. 

“Regional cooperation should not be just about signing agreements, but about full implementation of the commitments. It’s not enough to point fingers or wait for others to lead. There is room for everyone to do more. We all need more integration than disintegration; we all need more cooperation than isolation; we all need more togetherness not in words but in actions; we need better planning and sustainable financial instruments as part of the new gradual accession of WB into the EU, we need a Growth mind-set, not only a Growth Plan. This is a collective journey if we want to drive real lasting change. Cooperation is not a choice, but a must! We owe it to ourselves and to the future generations,” concluded Bregu. 

Following the meeting, the EU and Western Balkans Foreign Ministers issued a statement on enhancing cooperation, noting the achievements on the RCC-coordinated agendas of the CRM. They agreed on the Joint Declaration reaffirming the good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation that is expected to be endorsed at the Berlin Summit later this month.
 

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Full speech by RCC Secretary General