Sofia – Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) approved today in Sofia the Annual Report of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), welcoming RCC’s work in advancing regional cooperation, and supporting the region in delivering practical results for citizens, businesses and institutions across South East Europe.

The SEECP Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held under the Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office, gathered Ministers and Heads of Delegations under the official topic “A Shared Compass for a Stable, Secure and Sustainable Region – 30 Years of Regional Ownership and European Aspiration”. The meeting followed the 18th RCC Annual Meeting, held a day earlier in Sofia, and preceded the SEECP Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for later today.

Addressing the meeting, RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović said that 30 years of SEECP should be seen not only as an anniversary, but as a moment to adjust regional cooperation to a new strategic reality.

“SEECP began with a simple but powerful idea that South East Europe needed a place for dialogue owned by the region itself. Thirty years later, that regional ownership has produced the Regional Cooperation Council as its most distinctive institutional product, with tangible results from SEE2030 and free roaming to green alignment and security cooperation. The task before us now is to make that ownership even more strategic, more focused and more useful to our citizens and markets,” said RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović.

Foreign Ministers endorsed the SEECP Summit Declaration, welcomed the RCC Annual Report and expressed support for RCC’s continued role in translating regional political ownership into coordination, continuity and delivery. They underlined the importance of maintaining momentum in areas that bring practical value to the region, including connectivity, competitiveness, resilience, sustainable development, digital transformation, human capital and security cooperation.

The meeting also marked 30 years of SEECP, reflecting on three decades of regional ownership, dialogue and cooperation. A dedicated publication on the evolution and achievements of SEECP, prepared with RCC support in cooperation with the Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office, was presented to participants as a contribution to preserving the institutional memory of the Process and drawing lessons for its future direction.

The Sofia SEECP Summit of Heads of State and Government will be held later today, focusing on strengthening regional unity for a stable, secure and sustainable future and reflecting on 30 years of partnership and progress.