Munich – Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Amer Kapetanović participated in the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC), where he took part in high-level discussions on European security, EU enlargement, and the fight against transnational organised crime, and held a series of bilateral meetings with international partners.

During the MSC, which brings together global leaders in politics, defence, diplomacy, business, and civil society to discuss and shape responses to the most pressing international security challenges, Secretary General Kapetanović attended the opening session, as well as thematic discussions and roundtables addressing Europe’s security challenges and the Western Balkans’ place within the broader European and transatlantic framework. He participated in the roundtable “Open Door or Open End? Delivering on EU Enlargement” and spoke at an event on “Anchoring the Balkans: Evaluating EU Enlargement, Transatlantic Commitment and Europe’s Security Challenge”, organised by the Istituto Affari Internazionali, the Open Society Foundations Western Balkans, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, as well as the GIZ-hosted event titled “Steal, Smuggle, Destabilise: The Case for Inter-Regional Action Against Transnational Organised Crime”, and the “Whispering Giants: The Western Balkans’ Democracy Crisis as a Test for Europe” event organised by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) and European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). 

Across the panels, discussions examined the Western Balkans as a test for the EU’s enlargement credibility and Europe’s evolving security architecture amid shifting geopolitical dynamics. Participants reflected on the risks of democratic backsliding and hybrid threats, the implications of a more security-driven accession logic, and the need for coordinated EU and transatlantic engagement. The exchanges also addressed the importance of strengthened regional cooperation and coordinated approaches to shared security challenges.

“Criminal networks are moving across the region every day, as they move through regardless of jurisdictions and institutions, while our responses too often remain fragmented or reactive.  Organised crime goes beyond individual jurisdictions and requires a cooperative response,” said Kapetanović. Referring to the Western Balkans, he stressed that criminal ecosystems exploit institutional vulnerabilities and socio-economic gaps, undermining both regional stability and Europe’s wider security architecture. “In today’s security environment, fragmentation is a risk, and cooperation is power. The real question is whether institutional security cooperation can act faster than criminal networks.”

Kapetanović highlighted the RCC’s role in advancing predictable and operational security cooperation across South East Europe through platforms such as the Security Governance Hub framework and the annual Regional Security Coordination Conference (Jumbo Conference), as well as through evidence-based analysis provided by RCC’s SecuriMeter.

On the margins of the MSC, the Secretary General Kapetanović held bilateral meetings with Oana-Silvia Țoiu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania; Marko Đurić, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia; Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); Skoog Olof, European Union External Action (EEAS) Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs; and Carl-Philipp Sassenrath, Member of the German Bundestag.

The discussions focused on strengthening regional cooperation under the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), advancing implementation of the SEE2030 Strategy, supporting EU integration of the Western Balkans, and enhancing joint efforts to address security challenges, including organised crime, hybrid threats, and institutional resilience.

The Munich Security Conference once again provided a key platform for dialogue on Europe’s security architecture and underlined the importance of sustained regional and interregional cooperation in an increasingly fragmented global environment.

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