ISTANBUL/SARAJEVO – The RCC Secretary General Hido Biscevic invited a stronger engagement in regional projects of prominent Southeast European (SEE) businessmen and members of wider international business community, at a meeting of the Business Advisory Council for South Eastern Europe (BAC), held in Istanbul today.

The RCC Secretary General called for a stronger cooperation among the SEE business community in realizing transnational development projects and recalled the EU’s Multi-beneficiary Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) Programme, aimed at supporting such projects. He also informed of a cooperation mechanism among the RCC, its SEE members, the European Commission (EC) and international financial institutions in preparing and implementing joint multinational regional projects.

Secretary General Biscevic introduced the businessmen with RCC priorities and projects the organization is preparing with international partners, including the establishment of the South East Europe Regional Fire-Fighting Centre and the Southeastern-Central Europe Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, as well as a project to promote sustainable use and integrated management of the region's inland waterways.

BAC members expressed full readiness to contribute to increasing business opportunities in Southeast Europe by working with the RCC. A follow up meeting between RCC Secretariat and BAC representatives to discuss this future cooperation will be held later this year.

The BAC meeting focused on issues of free trade, public-private partnership, competitiveness and infrastructure development in Southeast Europe.

The Business Advisory Council is composed of 35 renowned businessmen from over 20 SEE countries and wider region. It advises SEE governments and business communities, and liaises with the EC, international financial institutions and international organizations towards improving the business climate and investment in Southeast Europe