Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) today hosted the 19th Coordination Meeting of Regional Organisations at its Secretariat in Sarajevo, gathering Secretaries General and senior representatives of key regional cooperation frameworks, RCC, CEI, AII and BSEC, to discuss how smarter, more resilient and sustainable connectivity can drive inclusive economic development across South East Europe.

The meeting opened with introductory remarks by Amer Kapetanović, RCC Secretary General; Giovanni Castellaneta, Secretary General of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (AII); Lazăr Comănescu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC); and Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General of the Central European Initiative (CEI). 

Besides delegations of RCC, CEI, BSEC, and AII, participants of the meeting included representatives of Sofia Chairmanship-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), the World Bank, and of Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairmanship of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). Discussions centred on the theme “Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Connectivity among the Regions: Enhancing sustainable and inclusive economic development for resilience through connectivity among the regions and regional cooperation”.

“Together we are stronger, the region’s potential grows exponentially when we act as one. Most of our economies, particularly in the Western Balkans, are simply too small to generate sustained growth on their own. But together, as a wider South East Europe, we represent a USD 2-trillion economic space with the scale, diversity and potential to deliver more resilient and inclusive development. Today’s meeting reaffirmed a simple truth: our challenges are shared, and so are our opportunities. Stronger coordination among our regional organisations is necessary. By aligning priorities, reducing fragmentation and building genuine synergies, we can safeguard connectivity, strengthen resilience and deliver tangible benefits to citizens across all our regions,” said RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović.

During the tour de table, regional organisations and guest representatives exchanged insights on strategic priorities, transformation agendas, promotion, and coordination. They discussed future coordination priorities, potential areas for jointly developed initiatives, and ways to further structure cooperation within this platform.

The meeting participants reaffirmed the strong commitment of all participating organisations to deepen cooperation, strengthen resilience and advance a more connected, competitive and sustainable South East Europe. The RCC will continue facilitating this coordination format and supporting partners in translating shared priorities into practical regional action.

Host of the next Coordination Meeting of Regional Organisations will be the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).