Regional Cooperation Council

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is a regional cooperative framework for countries in Southeast Europe, with the goal of "promoting mutual cooperation and European and Euro-Atlantic integration of South East Europe in order to inspire development in the region to the benefit of its people".

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) was officially launched at the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Sofia, on 27 February 2008, as the successor of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. It provides operational capacities to and works under the political guidance of SEECP and functions as a focal point for cooperation in South East Europe through a regionally owned and led framework. It also acts as a forum for the continued involvement of the international community engaged in the region.

The Statute of the RCC forms the basis for its operations. According to it, the RCC Board provides operational guidance and supervision to the organization. It comprises those RCC participants contributing to the budget of the RCC Secretariat as well as the EU, represented by a representative of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a representative of the European Commission.

In line with its Statute and guided by the principles of all-inclusiveness, the main tasks of the RCC are to represent the region, assist the SEECP, monitor regional activities, exert leadership in regional cooperation, provide a regional perspective in donor assistance – notably the EU's Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) programme – and support increased involvement of civil society in regional activities.

The organisation currently operates under its Strategy and Work Programme 2014–16, the main document guiding its work. This strategy was adopted at the RCC Annual Meeting in Ohrid, the Republic of Macedonia, on 30 May 2013.

The current Strategy was preceded by the 2011–13 Strategy and Work Programme, endorsed by the SEECP Summit held in June 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey.

...
Wikipedia