The 54th Meeting of the RCC Board held in Sarajevo 

Sarajevo – The 54th meeting of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Board was held in Sarajevo today, chaired by the RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu.

The RCC Board participants congratulated Ms Bregu on the successes she brought forth to the regional cooperation agendas during her tenure, and thanked her for dedication and unwavering persistence in leading and pursuing the collaboration in our region. 

“I am honoured to have served as the Secretary General of the RCC during these six extraordinary years and to have witnessed the solidarity within our region and between our region and the EU. From the very beginning, I have been guided by the principle that cooperation is our strongest asset in a rapidly changing world. Nearly six years into my tenure, this principle remains as vital as ever. Our mission over the past six years has been clear: to not only adapt to change but to lead it. We have matured, grown, and become a significant player in driving the regional agenda,” said RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu.  

She said that in the past six years the region has endorsed/signed around 20 agreements/declarations including mobility agendas already endorsed, ensuring the mobility of citizens, students, and professionals in the region. “We transformed the regional economic integration of the Western Balkans into broader socio-economic cooperation,” added Bregu, emphasizing that thanks to financial support from the EU, the RCC has grown with new projects like the Western Balkans Youth Lab, engaging youth in regional cooperation, and Integrative Internal Security Governance. 

“Working towards the EU integration is no small feat for a country, and I did that every single day 12 good years in Albania, but is absolutely more challenging for a region. Every step demands compromise, resilience and determination in the face of adversity. After six years I can say that never has this region been as free and as conscious of the importance of cooperation as it is now. We all owe this situation largely to the process of EU integration,” concluded Bregu. 

Secretary General Bregu thanked all Board participants for their support over the past six years, wishing them and the incoming Secretary General, Amer Kapetanovic, who is to assume the duty as of 1 January 2025, a successful continuation of the important work of regional cooperation. 

The participants of the Regional Cooperation Council Board approved the Report of the RCC Secretary General, Majlinda Bregu, on the activities of the organisation in the previous period, and commended the work of RCC, confirming their full approval of the forthcoming phase's planned activities. The Board participants also approved the Budget of the RCC Secretariat for 2025, and set the dates for their meeting next year. 

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Chaired by the Secretary General, the RCC Board convenes three times annually, with preparations organised by the Secretary General in collaboration with the SEECP CiO. The RCC Board provides operational guidance and supervision of the organisation in-between its Annual Meetings.