The Regional Cooperation Council promotes regional cooperation along all government branches, in order to ensure awareness and support of the regional agenda across governance structures. Legislatures are a key chain in this process as institutions of direct citizens’ representation. Their full engagement in the regional cooperation processes is invaluable in securing smooth implementation of agreed programmes, spreading the regional narrative and enhancing true regional ownership.

Efforts of the RCC in this field are directed toward assisting the work of the SEECP parliamentary dimension. RCC has been tasked by the Final Declaration of the Fifth Plenary Session of the SEECP PA to provide information and expertise to the work of the Parliamentary Assembly.

Moreover, the RCC is following the Poznan Summit Chair’s Conclusions regarding inter-parliamentary dialogue within the Berlin Process, and the Joint Statement of XVI COSAP Conference. The latter calls upon the RCC to assist COSAP efforts in establishing such dialogue across all the key areas of the region’s political, economic, social, cultural and security cooperation.

Finally, the RCC remains open to develop collaboration with other regional or international forums of inter-parliamentary cooperation on topics pertaining to the regional agenda. In that context, cooperation has been established with PFSALW to support the programme of regional security cooperation in the field of Small Arms and Light Weapons, implemented by RCC/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-mandated project South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC).