Newsletter 26/2013 - Activities in brief

RCC Board adopts the organization’s new strategy and work programme

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Board adopted the RCC Strategy and Work Programme 2014-2016, in Sarajevo, on 25 April 2013. The Strategy and the Work Programme revolve around implementation of the South East Europe 2020 (SEE 2020) strategy, as the organization's contribution to overcoming the economic crisis in the region.

"The main goal of SEE 2020 is the economic and social growth in the region: employment growth by 12%, increase in mutual trade by 230%, the region's GDP rise from the current 38% to 46% of the EU average", Goran Svilanovic, RCC Secretary General said.

"We also want to see an increase in the total inflow of direct foreign investments in the region by 120%, and in the number of people with university education on the labour market by 300,000. In order to make this happen, production, trade, investments and education must be improved, and our national governments must be far more efficient than they are nowadays."

The document, leaning onto the EU growth strategy Europe 2020, brings competitiveness and development back to the region's focus. Ministers of economy from the region are expected to adopt the strategy in November this year.

The RCC Board also adopted the new statute of the organization, accepted the Annual Report of the Secretary General on regional cooperation in South East Europe for 2012-2013, and heard his report on activities of the organization’s Secretariat in the period February-April 2013.

The 27-member RCC Board meets three times a year and is chaired by the RCC Secretary General. The Board 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.

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