Documents & Publications
Gender-Responsive Green Finance Roadmap for the Western Balkans Six - Building Blocks for a Resilient and Inclusive Future
12 FEBRUARY 2025 | REPORT
The Western Balkans Six (WB6) face socio-economic challenges intensified by the green transition and climate change, disproportionately affecting women, rural communities, and MSMEs. Gender inequalities in finance, leadership, and economic participation further limit inclusive growth and climate resilience. The Gender-responsive Green Finance (GGF) Roadmap addresses these issues by integrating women’s empowerment, financial inclusion, and climate adaptation into economic frameworks. It envisions a financial ecosystem that positions MSMEs and in particular women-led MSMEs as agents of sustainable development and prioritizes advancing women economic empowerment, supporting MSMEs with tailored financial products, and enhancing financial inclusion to bridge gender and geographic disparities. Through regulatory reforms, capacity-building, and innovative financial solutions, the roadmap envisions a green transition where women and MSMEs drive sustainable development across the region.
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In the boiling water of violence - Statement by RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu
25 NOVEMBER 2024 | STATEMENT
The statement by Majlinda Bregu, RCC Secretary General, highlights the pervasive and evolving nature of violence against women, emphasizing how it is rarely an isolated incident but rather a persistent, systemic issue reinforced by societal norms and modern digital platforms. Using Margaret Atwood's metaphor of gradual harm, it sheds light on alarming global and regional statistics, including the rise of online abuse, particularly in the Balkans, where Albania stands out for its paradoxical trust in social media despite its dangers. The statement calls for collective action to address the root causes of violence and break the cycle that pressures individuals and generations alike.
RCC Secretary General for Monitor
08 JULY 2024 | INTERVIEW
Albanian Monitor published an interview with RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu.
The interview discusses the challenges and progress of gender equality for women in the Western Balkans. Major challenges include limited access to property, income, and decision-making roles, compounded by gender stereotypes and inadequate childcare services. The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is addressing these issues through initiatives like public awareness campaigns, support for women entrepreneurs, and the establishment of networks for women in STEM. In Albania, efforts to improve legal standards, combat gender bias, and support women in business and politics are emphasized, although challenges such as the gender pay gap persist. Bregu stressed the importance of genuine political reform, better support for women's re-skilling, and access to education and training in higher-paying sectors to enhance economic growth and gender equality.
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Annual Report of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council 2023-2024
13 JUNE 2024 | REPORT
The Annual Report of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) covers the period May 2023 – May 2024. It outlines main RCC activities and achievements in the past year. It also lays out the overall background and crucial developments impacting and shaping the activities of the RCC and the region of South East Europe in the reporting period.
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Women entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans: Stocktaking on constraints and good practices
19 MAY 2023 | REPORT
This document provides a state of play of women entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans economies, aiming to provide key findings and recommendations through an actionable roadmap for each economy. While the analysis is conducted separately, there are striking similarities, both on key positive developments as well as challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. Therefore, the report takes both a comparative perspective and an economy specific one.
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Women Entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans - economy factsheets
09 JANUARY 2023 | INFORMATION MATERIAL
Gender statistics play an important role for evidence-based policy making in support of women entrepreneurship. Hence, a thorough review of gender statistics in the Western Balkans, with a specific focus on “women entrepreneurship”, has been commissioned by Regional Cooperation Council. In addition, a sector review for “women in agriculture” has enriched the insights and has been included considering the strategic importance of the agro-food sector in the Common Regional Market Action Plan’s value chains.
The findings will further contribute to the discussion and work of the Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship.
Here is what women entrepreneurship in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia looks like.
Speech by the RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu at the Regional Butterfly Innovation Award ceremony
27 JUNE 2022 | SPEECH
RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu opened Regional Butterfly Innovation Award ceremony in Tirana on 27 June 2022, where six winning innovation ideas from the region were awarded.
"This spring we launched the first Regional Butterfly Innovation Award. ‘What is now proved was once only imagination’- this Blake’s quote fits perfectly the 154 ideas in six competing categories - largely exceeded our boldest expectations. Women led almost half of the teams or most team members were women. This competition proves that innovation can bring together many bright and courageous minds. The RCC has started slowly to support research and innovation in the region and we hope the Butterfly Innovation Award will help the winners take their solutions to another level and shine a light on the regional innovation community and its undiscovered potential. Congratulations to the winners!”
The ceremony, co-organised by the RCC and the European Commission, took place on the side-lines of the Ministerial Meeting of the Western Balkans Steering Platform on Research and Innovation & Education and Training, hosted by the European Commission.
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Balkan Barometer Public Opinion 2022
24 JUNE 2022 | SURVEY
Balkan Barometer Public opinion 2022 is 8th edition of RCC's survey of Western Balkan citizens perceptions. The analysis of the results provides a detailed insight into trends and evolution of the attitudes of thousands of
region’s citizens and businesses across socio-economic-environmental topics affecting their everyday lives.
Since the first edition in 2015 the Balkan Barometer became firmly established as a reliable source of regional data widely employed and referenced by media, business, civil society and decision-makers alike.
Balkan Barometer is commissioned by the RCC and financed by the European Union.
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Balkan Barometer Business Opinion 2022
24 JUNE 2022 | SURVEY
2022 edition of the Balkan Barometer- the annual survey of Western Balkan business perceptions. It provides insights into trends and evolution of the attitudes of region’s businesses across socio-economic-environmental topics affecting their everyday lives and business. Balkan Barometer Business Opinion survey presented 177 questions to 1203 business owners, managers, or executives in the period mid February to mid-March 2022.
Balkan Barometer is commissioned by the RCC and financed by the European Union.
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Balkan Barometer 2022 - INFOGRAPHICS
24 JUNE 2022 | INFORMATION MATERIAL
BALKAN BAROMETER is an annual survey of public opinion and business sentiments in six Western Balkans economies, commissioned by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), which examines aspirations and expectations on life and work, prevalent socio-economic and political trends & regional and European integration.
BALKAN BAROMETER’S 2022 infographics booklet features some of the defining thoughts of Western Balkans citizens and businesses on prevailing issues facing the region.
The entire BB survey is available at www.rcc.int/balkanbarometer
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Annual Report of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council 2021-2022
10 JUNE 2022 | REPORT
The Annual Report of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) covers the period April 2021 – April 2022. It outlines main RCC activities and achievements in the past year. It also lays out the overall background and crucial developments impacting and shaping the activities of the RCC and the region of South East Europe in the reporting period.
Download: EN
REGIONAL RESPONSE IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY: RCC Strategy and Work Programme 2023–2025
09 JUNE 2022 | REPORT
The Strategy and Work Programme 2023-2025 ‘Regional Response in Times of Uncertainty’, of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat was endorsed at the RCC Annual Meeting, on 9 June 2022 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The overarching goal of SWP 2023-2025 is to promote the prosperity of South East Europe by supporting sustainable and equitable economic growth policies to enhance regional economic integration, green and digital transformation, while reducing the poverty and narrowing the existing social, economic, and environmental divergences with the European Union.
The SWP 2023-2025 serves as the main mid-term plan to prioritise RCC’s activities in line with RCC’s objectives defined by the Statute and the SEE 2030 Strategy, which focuses on the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the regional approach.
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Declaration on the launch of the Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship
11 MARCH 2022 | DECLARATION/DECISION
Recognising the linkages between women economic empowerment and sustainable growth as well as the importance of joint collaboration, today WE have agreed to launch the Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship to further support the advancement of women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds in the Western Balkans.
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WomEn who Launch: Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurs - RCC SG Opening remarks
11 MARCH 2022 | SPEECH
RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu opened the regional event WomEn who Launch: Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurs, In Tirana on 11 March 2022.
The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) just launching today the first Regional Women in Entrepreneurship Network in the Western Balkans. We will not boil the sea right away. But sometimes the smallest act can lead to the biggest impact. We’ll engage ourselves not only to connect women with each other but also to lend a helping hand with the informational support and mentorship for the start-uppers. And then, together, we will work on common endeavours such as financial challenges, including high start-up costs and equipment/maintenance fees, assets like cash grants or marketing, all the way up to policy making. One thing we at the RCC are sure of is that when women engage, take responsibilities, grow and help each other they can be a rising tide that lifts all boats,” said, among other things, Majlinda Bregu.
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Balkan Barometer 2021 - Public Opinion
24 JUNE 2021 | SURVEY
Balkan Barometer 2021 - this is the 7th edition of annual public and business opinion survey commissioned by the RCC which examines Western Balkan citizens and businesses perceptions and expectations towards a variety of thematic areas, such as the EU integration and regional cooperation, digitalisation, green recovery, employment, and for the second year in a row it includes topics concerning a challenging regional COVID-19 induced landscape.
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Balkan Barometer Business Opinion
23 JUNE 2021 | SURVEY
Balkan Barometer 2021 - this is the 7th edition of annual public and business opinion survey commissioned by the RCC which examines Western Balkan citizens and businesses perceptions and expectations towards a variety of thematic areas, such as the EU integration and regional cooperation, digitalisation, green recovery, employment, and for the second year in a row it includes topics concerning a challenging regional COVID-19 induced landscape.
Download: EN
COVID-19 and the World of Decent Work
29 APRIL 2021 | INTERVIEW
Article on the occasion of 1 May, Labour Day
2021 edition of the International Labour Day: COVID-19 and the World of Decent Work
"Around a quarter of youth in the Western Balkans are NEETs – neither in employment, education or training (2019 data). Moreover, out of the total registered unemployed at the end of February 2021, 173,031 are young people, under 24 years, which is more than 12% of all registered unemployed."
By Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)
Economic Benefits of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in the Western Balkans Six
13 APRIL 2021 | STUDY
The purpose of this study is to shed light on the labour market situation of women in the WB6 economies, assess the economic benefits of women empowerment and provide recommendations for the way forward. Using gender disaggregated data, a comprehensive analysis of the current situation of gender equality and women empowerment in the WB was performed. The economic benefits of gender equality measures were estimated. A Women Empowerment Index (WEI) was developed to measure the economic empowerment of women in the WB6. The study also contains stocktaking and assessment of key policy areas and measures to reduce gender inequality and promote economic empowerment of women in the WB region.
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Report on the Activities of the Regional Cooperation Council Secretariat for the period 1 October 2020 – 1 March 2021
29 MARCH 2021 | REPORT
The Report on the activities of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat is submitted by the RCC Secretary General to the RCC Board in line with Article 15 of the Statute of the RCC. It covers the period between 1 October 2020 – 1 March 2021.
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Article by Gazeta Si, featuring RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu and results and successes of the Regional Cooperation Council
19 MARCH 2021 | ARTICLE
Albanian web portal Gazeta Si published an article dubbed "The unspoken of Majlinda Bregu/the International Mission", featuring RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu and results and successes of the Regional Cooperation Council.
Op-Ed: Women’s empowerment is essential to Western Balkans’ efforts to build back better from the pandemic
11 FEBRUARY 2021 | ARTICLE
By Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and
Mirjana Spoljaric, Regional Director for UNDP’s Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Mapping of Gender-Related Policies, Programmes and Mechanisms on Gender Disparity in STEM in Western Balkans
18 DECEMBER 2020 | STUDY
The objective of this study is to identify policies related to gender disparity in STEM at the level of each Western Balkan economy and provide a regional overview of existing mechanisms and
initiatives, thus providing recommendations for regional action in the area of STEM.
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Women’s Economic Empowerment: Areas for joint actions in the Western Balkans
11 DECEMBER 2020 | INFORMATION MATERIAL
RCC, as an inclusive regional body in South East Europe and UNDP, as one of the leading development entities within the United Nations, propose this document to bring about women’s economic empowerment. Both organizations are committed to advancing gender equality, in line with their respective mandates, as a cornerstone of sustainable development, and both have presence and strong partners in the Western Balkans.
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Speech of the Secretary General Majlinda Bregu at the Launch of RCC-UNDP initiative on women empowerment
11 DECEMBER 2020 | SPEECH
Speech by the Regional Cooperation Council's (RCC) Secretary General Majlinda Bregu at the launching of the the joint RCC and UNDP initiative 'Women’s Economic Empowerment: Areas for joint actions in the Western Balkans' held online on 11 December 2020.
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Women’s Economic Empowerment: Areas for joint actions in the Western Balkans Factsheet
10 DECEMBER 2020 | INFORMATION MATERIAL
‘Women’s Economic Empowerment:Areas for joint actions in the Western Balkans’ Initiative is joint work of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aiming to enhance collaboration among different stakeholders and underpin systemic change in addressing gender inequalities and co-designing initiatives on women’s economic empowerment. Factsheet shortly describe key priorities initiative is focusing on.
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