Speech by RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanovic on the occasion of 18th anniversary of Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)

16 February 2026 | SPEECH

Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) marked its 18th anniversary on 16 February 2026 in Sarajevo.

In his speech RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanovic reflected on three decades of regional cooperation in South East Europe reaffirmed its continued relevance. He stressed that while efficiency and results matter, durable progress in the region depends on trust, inclusive processes, and cooperation that delivers tangible benefits for citizens. Kapetanovic underlined the RCC’s commitment to people-centred outcomes, safeguarding mutual trust, and using its convening power to keep regional dialogue alive in an increasingly polarised environment, framing cooperation as a strategic choice and a shared responsibility for the region’s future.

Among other thins, he said: “This year, we mark thirty years of the SEECP, eighteen years of the RCC, twenty years of CEFTA and CEI, and ten years of RYCO. These anniversaries matter because they signal continuity. Cooperation in South East Europe has expanded not because it was convenient, but because it was necessary. It has taken different forms, sometimes overlapping, sometimes imperfect, but it endured because it delivered stability, connectivity and shared interest. If one word were to define the challenge before us this year, it would be meaning: the meaning of South East Europe for the European Union and the major powers, but above all, the meaning it has for those who live here. Whether we are members of the EU and NATO or still on that path, cooperation must be a strategic choice, not an obligation imposed by circumstance.”

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