News Archive
21 September 2023 | News
Bregu: When global institutions and frameworks are stretched thin, regional bodies can step in to provide stability, continuity, and direction
New York - "The Western Balkans has made significant progress in the last two decades, but the Western Balkans is not where its inhabitants or outside peacemakers hoped we would be twenty-plus years after the guns went largely quiet. Unfortunately, friction amongst economies persists, and conflicts can hinder investments and economic growth in the region. Having in mind this and the ...
08 December 2022 | News
RCC hosts the Second Butterfly Innovation & Business Forum in Sarajevo
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in partnership with the EU4DigitalSME - Innovation and Digitalisation in SMEs in BiH project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), hosted the Second Butterfly Innovation & Business Forum on 6-7 December 2022 in Sarajevo.
03 November 2022 | News
Bregu: It’s done - the three RCC-coordinated centrepiece mobility agreements finally see the light of day
Berlin – The Heads of Governments of the Western Balkans Six signed the three mobility agreements under the Common Regional Market (CRM) Action Plan’s mobility agendas - on Freedom of Movement with Identity Cards, on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and on Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists and Architects – at the ...
21 October 2022 | News
All-inclusive regional cooperation and Common Regional Market deliver results
Berlin/Sarajevo – The Western Balkans (WB) Foreign Ministers approved three regional agreements - on Freedom of Movement with Identity Cards, on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and on Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists and Architects – at the WB-EU ministerial meeting, organised within the Berlin Process by the German Government ...
28 June 2022 | News
Bregu: Having an environment that supports innovation and creativity helps our democracies to be stronger
Tirana – “There is a political decision on when our economies will become full EU member states, but there is also a responsibility all of us carry on how to make our economies closer to the European standards present here in this region. So, for all of us who share a sense of discomfort after the last week’s EU summit, I have to say there are deep and concrete figures and ...
28 June 2022 | News
Bregu: We hope Butterfly Innovation Award will shine a light on the regional innovation community and its undiscovered potential
Tirana – “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 ...
24 June 2022 | News
Bregu: Support of Western Balkan citizens to regional cooperation remains stable at 76%
Brussels – “While many things change, our public and business perceptions surveys remain a truthful source of sentiments across the region. At times, the results surprise us, sometimes they serve as a wake-up call, while on other occasions they confirm that our efforts are not in vain as citizens and businesses feel the benefits of our work. 76% of Western Balkan citizens find ...
31 March 2022 | News
Imagine. Innovate. Create: RCC Launches Western Balkans Butterfly Innovation Award
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is launching a Regional Butterfly Innovation Award seeking innovative, scalable and market-based solutions from the Western Balkans. The Butterfly Innovation Award fund is set at 30,000 EUR, where the best solution in each of the 6 categories will get the prize of 5,000 EUR.
15 October 2021 | News
Bregu: European perspective of Western Balkans is the drive that makes the process of cooperation beneficial
Sarajevo – “European perspective of Western Balkans is the drive that makes the process of cooperation beneficial to all in long-term. It is of highest importance that both the region and the EU deliver on the respective commitments – particularly when we take into account that optimism regarding the time of accession has been declining. More ambitious actions for ...
16 June 2021 | News
Bregu: 2020 was difficult, but a real progress and achievements have been made for development of our region
Antalya – “Last year, ruled by the pandemic has definitely showcased the extent of our interconnectivity and interdependency and demonstrated that in cooperating, we boost our strengths and resilience. It is clear that regional socio-economic integration is crucial for regional development. There is no doubt about the fact that cooperation brings mutual benefit to its participants. ...
19 May 2021 | News
Bregu: Regional cooperation with clear, targeted goals and meeting deliverables is more urgent than ever
Sarajevo/Tirana–“Regional cooperation with clear, targeted goals and meeting deliverables is more urgent than ever. Establishing a Common Regional Market which will attract investors, support real added value of industries, promote innovation, ensure digitalization and bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU standards, will smoothen recovery and enhance resilience to future ...
25 June 2020 | News
Bregu: It is up to the region to retain commitment to cooperation and bring forth tangible progress to citizens
Tirana/Sarajevo/Prishtina – The two meetings have been held today within the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) - the meeting of the SEECP Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the RCC Annual Meeting, which RCC co-organised with the outgoing Kosovo SEECP Chairmanship-in-Office (CiO).
24 June 2020 | News
Bregu: Cooperation is the only blueprint that holds the promise of ‘Stronger Together’
Sarajevo – “The regional cooperation continues to grow in prominence with an overwhelming majority of citizens supportive of its role in improving the political, economic and security situation in their home economies - 77%, and 65% of them believes that what brings WB citizens together is more important than what separates us. The quick spread of COVID -19 was a grim reminder ...
14 May 2020 | News
Bregu: Pandemic created a common awareness that at least for now humankind takes precedence over politics and disputes
Sarajevo – “For all its aggressiveness, the COVID-19 crisis also offers glimmers of hope. It has connected Western Balkans even more, this time in a fight against an invisible enemy. It has persuaded us that cooperation should be resilient. It has created a common awareness that at least for now humankind takes precedence over politics and disputes, while borders are considered ...
06 May 2020 | News
Bregu: No brilliant regional plan can succeed without strong political leadership and fully synchronized EU- WB trajectories
Sarajevo/Tirana/Zagreb - Now, almost 4 years after we initiated the work on Regional Economic Area (REA) the region is ready to embark on the next phase of deepening regional economic cooperation assure the WB6 economies to have ownership first, and bringing the region closer to the EU internal market. While it is my pleasure to officially commit today the full readiness and dedication ...
23 April 2020 | News
Regional innovation fund could trigger economic recovery of the Western Balkans
Sarajevo – In an attempt to address high digital skills gap present in the Western Balkans and especially obvious in the current situation of economies’ lockdown when many jobs have moved from onsite to online, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) initiated and hosted the first meeting of the regional Balkan Digital Skills Multi Stakeholder Working Group.
19 March 2020 | News
RCC WE campaign continues with young Western Balkans’ women studying science, technology, engineering, mathematics
Sarajevo – Ivana Todorovska is a smart hard-working young woman, a student of Analytical Biochemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Skopje. Ivana’s message to all of us, young women and girls in particular, is that although it is very hard to become a scientist, she won’t stop trying.
21 February 2020 | News
Bregu: Without strategic innovation Western Balkans will not turn inventions into investments – we need to think bigger
Tirana – “Without a strategic innovation function that can enhance the capacities to incubate and accelerate new technologies, companies in the Western Balkans will continue to stockpiling undeveloped inventions and this will not return in an investment. We risk falling into the trap of having breakthrough ideas that are incrementally executed. Innovation in the region is 33,7 % while ...
15 September 2019 | News
RCC: Listen to women – they are the key to unlocking the economic potential of this region
Sarajevo – Statistics show that more than 700.000 new jobs were created in the past 7 years in the Western Balkans, but only 4.3% of these were taken up by youth under 24 years of age. For a young person it takes about 2 years to get a job.
08 July 2019 | News
Bregu: RCC keen to embark on any challenges with full support of regional and EU partners - we don’t need to loose time in order to find it again
Sarajevo – „A year behind us was a dynamic one and we are prepared to continue just as dynamic in the next one. We, at the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) are ready and keen to embark on any challenges ahead of us but we cannot do it without the full support of our regional and European partners, as we don’t need to loose time in order to find it again”, said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary ...
05 July 2019 | News
Bregu: Western Balkan should embark on serious, wide-ranging facilitation agenda, including movement of people, goods, services and capital
Poznan – “Two years after the Western Balkans’ (WB) Prime Ministers endorsed the Multi-annual Action Plan for the Regional Economic Area (MAP REA) in Trieste the region has not fully embraced the opportunities offered by the Regional Economic Area. Flows of goods, services, capital and people continue to be obstructed. We all could draw an important lesson from the Regional ...
04 July 2019 | News
Bregu: Western Balkans needs to fully embrace and capitalize on the Regional Economic Area
Poznan – “Two years since the endorsement of Multi-annual Action plan on Regional Economic Area (MAP REA) in Trieste and one year since London our region can show only a mixed track record at best. Western Balkans (WB) did not fully embrace Regional Economic Area (REA) and as a result vast potentials of regional economic integration remain untapped. There are many bilateral disputes ...
04 July 2019 | News
Bregu: Balkan Barometer 2019 clearly shows public and business appreciation of regional cooperation and need to strengthen it
Poznan – “There's no better way to stress the need for stepping up the regional cooperation than quoting the citizens and businesses of the Western Balkans (WB) who overwhelmingly, with 74% and 67% respectively, believe in regional cooperation. The recent success with dropping of roaming charges WB-wide as of 1 of July is an example of how regional cooperation is becoming a steady pattern ...
09 April 2019 | News
Bregu: If we want to move forward a new approach to education, promoting skills and supporting creativity is a must
Ulcinj – “If we want to move forward a new approach to education, promoting skills and supporting creativity is a must, said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) addressing the participants of the 1st Forum “Science and Innovation 2030 for the Western Balkans”, organised by the Ministry of Science of Montenegro and Podgorica Club in Ulcinj today.
09 April 2019 | News
Western Balkans agrees to create regional database of research infrastructure
Ulcinj – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) together with the Ministry of Science of Montenegro organised a Regional Workshop on Mapping Research Infrastructure, that took place on 8 April in Ulcinj. The workshop aimed to support the Western Balkan economies in the process of mapping the existing research infrastructure through exchange of practices and experiences. In addition, the ...
31 January 2019 | News
Open Science concept would contribute to Western Balkan societies’ higher return on investment
Brussels – The Western Balkan (WB) economies presented current situation and actions undertaken in the development of Open Science and Open Access policies for research data at the meeting of the Working Group on Open Science, held under the auspices of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in Brussels, yesterday.
30 October 2018 | News
Western Balkans agree to step up the work on research infrastructure
Sarajevo – Six Western Balkan (WB6) economies agreed to step up their work on research infrastructure in the region. Specifically the WB6 agreed to develop policies to open access to the existing research infrastructures (RIs) for researchers from the region, to cooperate in development of national RI Roadmaps as a basis for a regional map of RIs, and to kick off joint work on ...
08 October 2018 | News
Western Balkan Six open negotiations on mutual recognition of professional qualifications of doctors of medicine, dentists, architects and civil engineers
Brussels – The Western Balkans began the negotiations on mutual recognition of professional qualifications of doctors of medicine, dentists, architects and civil engineers at the 1st meeting of Lead Negotiators convened by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in Brussels today.
17 July 2018 | News
Horizon Europe should contribute to closing research & innovation EU-Western Balkans gaps
Western Balkan Six propose recommendations ahead of the adoption of the EC’s research and innovation Horizon Europe programme Sarajevo - Following the conclusions of the meeting of the Western Balkans Working Group on Research and Development (R&D) that took place in Brussels on 13 June 2018, the ministries responsible for science of the Western Balkan Six, prepared and issued ...
06 July 2018 | News
RCC’s Balkan Barometer 2018: Satisfaction of people and businesses on overall situation in the region is steadily improving
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) revealed results of 2018 edition of the Balkan Barometer (BB), an annual survey of citizens and business communities’ opinion on the situation in the region, in Brussels today. The main findings of the survey show that satisfaction of people and businesses on the overall situation in the region, while still below average, is steadily improving.
03 July 2018 | News
RCC to present SEE2020 strategy implementation results and its Balkan Barometer 2018 this week in Brussels
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to present the implementation results of the region’s growth strategy, South East Europe 2020 (SEE2020) on 5 July 2018 in Brussels, and day after, on 6 July also in Brussels, the RCC will reveal the results of its 4th edition of the public and business opinion survey – Balkan Barometer 2018. Both are an integral part of the RCC’s ...
26 June 2018 | News
Western Balkans endorses key principles on recognition of academic qualifications
Brussels – Ministers in charge of education from the Western Balkan economies endorsed a set of key principles on automatic recognition of academic qualifications in the region at the 7th Ministerial meeting of the Western Balkans Platforms on Education and Training & Research and Innovation, organised by the European Commission (EC), in Brussels today. These principles build upon the ...
18 May 2018 | News
RCC Presents Preliminary Findings of the SEE 2020 Draft Annual Implementation Report to Monitoring Committee
Podgorica - Monitoring Committee of the South East Europe 2020 (SEE 2020) Strategy met for the 6th time, under auspice of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in Podgorica today, to discuss and provide comments on the Strategy’s early draft Annual Implementation Report (ARI).
12 April 2018 | News
RCC with EC Organize Workshop on Smart Specialisation in the Western Balkans
Ljubljana - Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Directorate-General Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) of the European Commission co-organised a joint Workshop on Governance of Smart Specialisation (S3) and Training on Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP) in the Western Balkans, which was held at Technology Park in Ljubljana on 11-12 April 2018.
12 March 2018 | News
SEE 2020 Strategy Implementation: Programming Document for period 2018-2020 endorsed by the Strategy’s Participants
Brussels – Representatives of the South East Europe’s (SEE) economies participating in implementation SEE 2020 Strategy endorsed the Programming Document for the period 2018-2020, at the 6th Meeting of the SEE 2020 Programming Committee held in Brussels, under auspices of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), today, 12 March 2018.
06 December 2017 | News
Regional Workshop on Smart Specialisation in Research and Development
Brussels – Workshop on Smart Specialization for the Research and Development (R&D) and Industrial Working Group organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) was held in Brussels, on 6 December 2017.
05 December 2017 | News
Representatives of the Western Balkans presented developments in Open Science and Open Access policies in their economies together with EU Member States
Brussels - Representatives of the Western Balkans presented developments in Open Science and Open Access policies in their economies together with EU Member States at 5th meeting of the EU network of National Points of Reference on Scientific Information (NPR) in Brussels, on 5 December 2017.
06 July 2017 | News
Working Group on Open Science meets in Brussels and explores e-infrastructure possibilities in the region
Brussels – Regional Working Group on Open Science met in Brussels today. It mapped the existing e-infrastructure and made plans for further development in the Western Balkan economies, in order to support further development of the e-infrastructure in the region.
10 November 2016 | News
RCC with Western Balkan economies presented regional Open Science agenda at 4th EU meeting on Scientific Information
Sarajevo/Brussels – Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and representatives of seven Western Balkan economies presented their draft plan of activities for the next period and the latest developments in the field of Open Science at the 4th meeting of the network of National Points of Reference on Scientific Information (NPR) of EU member states and the European Commission in Brussels, ...
06 October 2016 | News
Western Balkans Joins the European Open Science Agenda
Seven Western Balkans’ economies joined the European Union (EU) family in pursuing the EU Open Science Agenda at the Open Data and Access in Science meeting organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) on the margins of the International Open Data Conference (IODC) on 6-7 October 2016.
14 September 2016 | News
Researcher mobility and open science contributing to research excellence
A workshop on successful facilitation of technology transfer and commercialization of research results in the Western Balkans, organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and Western Balkan Research and Innovation Center (WISE), took place in Split, Croatia, today.
18 September 2015 | News
Western Balkans gets Research and Innovation Centre
Western Balkans ministers of science signed in Split today an agreement on establishment of the Western Balkans Research and Innovation Centre (WISE).
17 September 2015 | News
Split to become headquarters of the Western Balkans Research and Innovation Centre
First Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia Vesna Pusić will open the ministerial conference on the occasion of establishment of the Western Balkans Research and Innovation Centre (WISE) tomorrow in Split. Together with the hosts, Vedran Mornar, Minister of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia; Goran Svilanovic, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, ...
02 April 2014 | News
RCC’s SEE 2020 Strategy: Regional Action Plan for implementation of Western Balkans Research and Development Strategy for Innovation adopted
Under the guidance of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat, the Steering Committee of representatives of ministries of science from the Western Balkan countries, adopted in Split today the Regional Action Plan for 2014, defining specific activities for implementation of the Western Balkans Regional Research and Development (R&D) Strategy for Innovation.
11 July 2011 | News
RCC organizes preparatory meeting for ministerial conference on Western Balkans strategy for research and development
Zagreb hosted a preparatory meeting today for the Ministerial Conference on Regional Strategy for Research and Development for Innovation for Western Balkans, to be held in November 2011. The event was organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat.