News Archive
Bregu: It’s done - the three RCC-coordinated centrepiece mobility agreements finally see the light of day
03 Nov 2022
Berlin – The Heads of Governments of the Western Balkans Six signed the three mobility agreements under the Common Regional Market (CRM) Action Plan’s mobility agendas - on Freedom of Movement with Identity Cards, on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and on Recognition ...
All-inclusive regional cooperation and Common Regional Market deliver results
21 Oct 2022
Berlin/Sarajevo – The Western Balkans (WB) Foreign Ministers approved three regional agreements - on Freedom of Movement with Identity Cards, on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and on Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists and Architects ...
Bregu: Support of Western Balkan citizens to regional cooperation remains stable at 76%
24 Jun 2022
Brussels – “While many things change, our public and business perceptions surveys remain a truthful source of sentiments across the region. At times, the results surprise us, sometimes they serve as a wake-up call, while on other occasions they confirm that our efforts are not in ...
Champion of Regional Cooperation to round off 14th RCC Annual Meeting
08 Jun 2022
Sarajevo/Thessaloniki – Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to hold its 14th Annual Meeting on Thursday, 9 June in Thessaloniki. RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu will present the RCC Annual Report and major accomplishments and results of the organisation in the past year while putting ...
Bregu: European perspective of Western Balkans is the drive that makes the process of cooperation beneficial
15 Oct 2021
Sarajevo – “European perspective of Western Balkans is the drive that makes the process of cooperation beneficial to all in long-term. It is of highest importance that both the region and the EU deliver on the respective commitments – particularly when we take into account ...
Bregu: Balkan Barometer reveals human uncertainty and vulnerability are main concerns followed by some goodish news on benefits of regional cooperation
24 Jun 2021
Tirana – “This, seventh in a row, Balkan Barometer shows human uncertainty and vulnerability are the main concerns followed by some goodish news which is the consciousness about the benefits of regional cooperation. For 49% of Western Balkan citizens, unemployment is the biggest ...
RCC to Present Balkan Barometer 2021 - Public and Business Viewpoints on Situation in our Region
22 Jun 2021
Tirana – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to present the 2021 edition of Balkan Barometer on Thursday, 24 June 2021, starting at 10:00, in Tirana. This is the 7th edition of annual public and business opinion survey commissioned by the RCC which examines Western Balkan citizens ...
Bregu: Voice, concerns, hopes & expectations of the people from the region are core of the RCC work
17 Jun 2021
Antalya – Leaders of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) approved the RCC-developed strategy for socio-economic development of South East Europe (SEE) in the next decade – SEE2030 Strategy, at their Summit held in Antalya, Turkey today.
Bregu: 2020 was difficult, but a real progress and achievements have been made for development of our region
16 Jun 2021
Antalya – “Last year, ruled by the pandemic has definitely showcased the extent of our interconnectivity and interdependency and demonstrated that in cooperating, we boost our strengths and resilience. It is clear that regional socio-economic integration is crucial for regional ...
Bregu: It is up to the region to retain commitment to cooperation and bring forth tangible progress to citizens
25 Jun 2020
Tirana/Sarajevo/Prishtina – The two meetings have been held today within the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) - the meeting of the SEECP Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the RCC Annual Meeting, which RCC co-organised with the outgoing Kosovo SEECP Chairmanship-in-Office ...
Bregu: Cooperation is the only blueprint that holds the promise of ‘Stronger Together’
24 Jun 2020
Sarajevo – “The regional cooperation continues to grow in prominence with an overwhelming majority of citizens supportive of its role in improving the political, economic and security situation in their home economies - 77%, and 65% of them believes that what brings WB citizens ...
The Shape of the Things to Come - Presentation of Balkan Barometer 2020
23 Jun 2020
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) will present 2020 edition of Balkan Barometer on Wednesday 24 June 2020. This annual public and business opinion survey of the RCC examines the perception and expectations on life and work, prevalent socio-economic and political trends & ...
Bregu: Pandemic created a common awareness that at least for now humankind takes precedence over politics and disputes
14 May 2020
Sarajevo – “For all its aggressiveness, the COVID-19 crisis also offers glimmers of hope. It has connected Western Balkans even more, this time in a fight against an invisible enemy. It has persuaded us that cooperation should be resilient. It has created a common awareness that ...
Bregu: No brilliant regional plan can succeed without strong political leadership and fully synchronized EU- WB trajectories
06 May 2020
Sarajevo/Tirana/Zagreb - Now, almost 4 years after we initiated the work on Regional Economic Area (REA) the region is ready to embark on the next phase of deepening regional economic cooperation assure the WB6 economies to have ownership first, and bringing the region closer to the EU internal ...
RCC WE campaign continues with young Western Balkans’ women studying science, technology, engineering, mathematics
19 Mar 2020
Sarajevo – Ivana Todorovska is a smart hard-working young woman, a student of Analytical Biochemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Skopje. Ivana’s message to all of us, young women and girls in particular, is that although it is very hard to become a scientist, ...
Bregu: Brain drain the biggest challenge of this decade - Western Balkans working age population declined by more than 400,000 in past 5 years
28 Jan 2020
Sarajevo – “More than 700 000 jobs have been added to the workforce during the past seven years and unemployment has moved for almost a quarter (23%) to around 16%, across the region. They say a tide lifts all boats, large and small. However, not everybody benefited from these economic and ...
Low women employment and labour market skills mismatch in Western Balkans call for stronger cooperation
05 Nov 2019
Istanbul – “The women unemployment in the Western Balkans is 60%. Analyses show a big mismatch in the labour market(s) between the demands and offered sets of skills and knowledge. Almost half of the students in the region enrol into the Humanities, Social Sciences and Business study ...
RCC: Listen to women – they are the key to unlocking the economic potential of this region
15 Sep 2019
Sarajevo – Statistics show that more than 700.000 new jobs were created in the past 7 years in the Western Balkans, but only 4.3% of these were taken up by youth under 24 years of age. For a young person it takes about 2 years to get a job.
Bregu: RCC keen to embark on any challenges with full support of regional and EU partners - we don’t need to loose time in order to find it again
08 Jul 2019
Sarajevo – „A year behind us was a dynamic one and we are prepared to continue just as dynamic in the next one. We, at the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) are ready and keen to embark on any challenges ahead of us but we cannot do it without the full support of our regional and European ...
Bregu: Western Balkan should embark on serious, wide-ranging facilitation agenda, including movement of people, goods, services and capital
05 Jul 2019
Poznan – “Two years after the Western Balkans’ (WB) Prime Ministers endorsed the Multi-annual Action Plan for the Regional Economic Area (MAP REA) in Trieste the region has not fully embraced the opportunities offered by the Regional Economic Area. Flows of goods, services, ...
Bregu: Western Balkans needs to fully embrace and capitalize on the Regional Economic Area
04 Jul 2019
Poznan – “Two years since the endorsement of Multi-annual Action plan on Regional Economic Area (MAP REA) in Trieste and one year since London our region can show only a mixed track record at best. Western Balkans (WB) did not fully embrace Regional Economic Area (REA) and as a result ...
Bregu: Balkan Barometer 2019 clearly shows public and business appreciation of regional cooperation and need to strengthen it
04 Jul 2019
Poznan – “There's no better way to stress the need for stepping up the regional cooperation than quoting the citizens and businesses of the Western Balkans (WB) who overwhelmingly, with 74% and 67% respectively, believe in regional cooperation. The recent success with dropping of roaming ...
Turdiu: Mobility of students is essential for developing common European values, understanding and appreciation of each other’s’ cultures
04 Jun 2019
Belgrade – Ministers in charge of education from the Western Balkan (WB) economies have welcomed the Declaration on Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications in the Western Balkans, at the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Platform on Education and ...
Bregu: Western Balkans Digital Summit and Poznan Summit are our chances to showcase we can deliver together as a region
26 Mar 2019
Brussels – “Upcoming second WB Digital Summit in Belgrade, as well as the Poznan Summit are our chances to showcase that we can deliver together as a region,” said Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, at the meeting of the Multi-Annual Action Plan ...
Open Science concept would contribute to Western Balkan societies’ higher return on investment
31 Jan 2019
Brussels – The Western Balkan (WB) economies presented current situation and actions undertaken in the development of Open Science and Open Access policies for research data at the meeting of the Working Group on Open Science, held under the auspices of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) ...
Preparations for the next WB6 Prime Ministers Summit continue at the 4th Meeting of Working Group on Recognition of Academic Qualifications in the Western Balkans
13 Dec 2018
Sarajevo - The 4th meeting of the Joint Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE) and Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Working Group on Recognition of Academic Qualifications (WG RAQ) took place in Sarajevo today.
RCC organizes training of teams for negotiations on mutual recognition of professional qualifications in the Western Balkans
14 Nov 2018
Tirana – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) concluded a two-day training session for the negotiations teams who will conduct the negotiations on the Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications of Doctors of Medicine, Dentists, Architects and Civil Engineers ...
RCC hosts the third meeting of MAP REA Coordinators from Western Balkan Six
09 Oct 2018
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) hosted the 3rd meeting of Coordinators of Multi-Annual Action Plan (MAP) on Regional Economic Area (REA) in Western Balkan Six (WB6), discussing the implementation results, next milestones, the most pressing challenges and reiterating commitments, ...
Western Balkan Six open negotiations on mutual recognition of professional qualifications of doctors of medicine, dentists, architects and civil engineers
08 Oct 2018
Brussels – The Western Balkans began the negotiations on mutual recognition of professional qualifications of doctors of medicine, dentists, architects and civil engineers at the 1st meeting of Lead Negotiators convened by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in Brussels today.
RCC’s Balkan Barometer 2018: Satisfaction of people and businesses on overall situation in the region is steadily improving
06 Jul 2018
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) revealed results of 2018 edition of the Balkan Barometer (BB), an annual survey of citizens and business communities’ opinion on the situation in the region, in Brussels today. The main findings of the survey show that satisfaction of ...
Major milestone in SEE 2020 Strategy implementation: Western Balkans ADDS more than 600 000 JOBS
05 Jul 2018
Brussels – Governing Board of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) South East Europe 2020 Strategy (SEE 2020) endorsed the 2018 Annual Report on Strategy’s implementation (ARI), at its fifth meeting held in Brussels today, in the eve of the presentation of the RCC’s Balkan barometer ...
RCC to present SEE2020 strategy implementation results and its Balkan Barometer 2018 this week in Brussels
03 Jul 2018
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to present the implementation results of the region’s growth strategy, South East Europe 2020 (SEE2020) on 5 July 2018 in Brussels, and day after, on 6 July also in Brussels, the RCC will reveal the results of its 4th edition of the public ...
Western Balkans endorses key principles on recognition of academic qualifications
26 Jun 2018
Brussels – Ministers in charge of education from the Western Balkan economies endorsed a set of key principles on automatic recognition of academic qualifications in the region at the 7th Ministerial meeting of the Western Balkans Platforms on Education and Training & Research and Innovation, ...
RCC Presents Preliminary Findings of the SEE 2020 Draft Annual Implementation Report to Monitoring Committee
18 May 2018
Podgorica - Monitoring Committee of the South East Europe 2020 (SEE 2020) Strategy met for the 6th time, under auspice of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in Podgorica today, to discuss and provide comments on the Strategy’s early draft Annual Implementation Report (ARI).
Western Balkans confirms Recommendation to open negotiations on Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications
07 May 2018
Sarajevo – Representatives of six Western Balkan economies gathered in the Joint Working Group on Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (JWG on MRPQ) at their meeting held in the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) headquarters in Sarajevo today confirmed recommendation to open ...
RCC with EC Organize Workshop on Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans
12 Apr 2018
Ljubljana - Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) of the European Commission co-organised a joint Workshop on Governance of Smart Specialisation (S3) and Training on Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) in the Western Balkans, ...
SEE 2020 Strategy Implementation: Programming Document for period 2018-2020 endorsed by the Strategy’s Participants
12 Mar 2018
Brussels – Representatives of the South East Europe’s (SEE) economies participating in implementation SEE 2020 Strategy endorsed the Programming Document for the period 2018-2020, at the 6th Meeting of the SEE 2020 Programming Committee held in Brussels, under auspices of the Regional ...
Second Meeting of MAP Coordinators and B2G Meeting on MAP takes place in Trieste
30 Jan 2018
Trieste – The second meeting of the Coordinators for the RCC’s Multi Action Plan (MAP) for a Regional Economic Area (REA) in the Western Balkans six (WB6) took place in Trieste today. The meeting provided an overview on the key developments in MAP implementation in each of the WB6 economies ...
The WB 6 Start Work on the Model for Automatic Recognition of Academic Qualifications
15 Dec 2017
Belgrade – By formalising the Joint Education Reform Initiative of South East Europe (ERI SEE) – Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Working Group on Recognition of Academic Qualifications (WG RAQ) the Western Balkans Six (WB6) have officially started its work on finding the model for automatic ...
RCC, ETF continue building human capital in the region
22 Nov 2017
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Secretary General, Goran Svilanovic, and newly appointed Director of the European Training Foundation (ETF), Cesare Onestini, signed an agreement on continuation of cooperation between the two organisations, in Brussels today.
RCC hosts the first meeting of coordinators for the Western Balkans Regional Economic Area
31 Oct 2017
Brussels - Following the Trieste Western Balkans (WB) Summit and the endorsement of the RCC’s Multi Action Plan (MAP) for a Regional Economic Area (REA) in the WB6, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Western Balkans Chamber Investment Forum (CIF), organized the first Meeting of ...
Sarajevo hosts first regional ‘Skills Show’ of high school students
16 Dec 2016
Sarajevo – The first regional Skills Show, aiming to link commercial and education sectors in order to improve the overall quality of education in the region, motivate young people to choose vocational schools and ultimately influence the increase of the employment rate, kicked-off in Sarajevo ...
RCC-supported conference discusses higher education in Western Balkans
25 May 2012
A two-day international conference in support of higher education reform in Western Balkans ended in Petrovac, Montenegro, today. The event discussed the role of professional administrators and public-private partnerships in developing higher education systems in the region, as well as new ...
RCC Secretariat hosts 1st Working Group Meeting of Education Reform Initiative of South East Europe
08 Oct 2009
The 1st Working Group Meeting of the Education Reform Initiative of South East Europe (ERI SEE) concluded today at the RCC Secretariat in Sarajevo. The two-day event gathered representatives of education ministries from South East Europe.