SARAJEVO – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Board discussed today the first draft of the new, three-year Strategic Work Programme of the organization for the period 2011-2013.

“The new RCC strategy will outline, in a clear and focused manner, envisaged directions of RCC activities until 2013, on the basis of the region’s needs, added value of specific projects and cooperation within the RCC framework in each of the priority areas of the RCC work as well as objective capacities of the RCC Secretariat”, said RCC Secretary General Hido Biscevic.

The strategy defines future RCC activities in the priority areas of economic and social development, infrastructure and energy, justice and home affairs, security cooperation, building human capital and parliamentary cooperation in South East Europe.

The strategy has been prepared in close cooperation between the RCC Secretariat and the European Commission. It will feature a comprehensive debate of all the 29 RCC Board members, in particular the 12 members from South East Europe.

“The document will, in a form of an Action Plan, also set the concrete timeframe for the realization of specific programmes and projects, as the RCC is going to focus its activities on a number of targeted and deliverable initiatives. The draft strategy will also be complemented by a report on the process of streamlining of activities of relevant taskforces and initiatives in South East Europe, with the assessment of current situation, identified shortcomings and gaps, and recommendations for possible future action.”

The RCC Strategic Work Programme 2011-2013 is expected to be adopted by the Board on 18 May 2010 and endorsed by the RCC Annual Meeting and the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in Istanbul, in June 2010.

At this first meeting of the RCC Board in 2010, Secretary General Biscevic also submitted a report on the activities of the RCC Secretariat in the November 2009-February 2010 period, as well as on the plans in the forthcoming quarter. The report is available HERE.

The RCC Board meets quarterly and provides the RCC with operational guidance and supervision. It consists of those RCC members contributing to the budget of the RCC Secretariat as well as the European Union, represented by the Troika, consisting of the EU Presidency, the European Commission and the Council Secretariat.