News Archive
21 February 2025 | News
RCC welcomes Minister of Labor and Social Welfare of Montenegro in its Sarajevo Headquarters
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General, Amer Kapetanovic, welcomed Naida Nisic, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of Montenegro, to the RCC headquarters in Sarajevo today. The meeting focused on regional cooperation in employment and labour mobility, with particular attention to the upcoming Ministerial Conference on Labour Migration, ‘Supporting ...
30 October 2024 | News
Third Phase of the Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project Kicks Off
Budva - The Employment and Social Affairs Platform 3 (ESAP 3) project, jointly implemented by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and International Labour Organisation (ILO), and financed by the European Union, marked the beginning of its third phase implementation, with the two-day event dubbed “Balanced Labour Markets in the Western Balkans: Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable ...
30 April 2024 | News
RCC Secretary General on the Occasion of Labour Day
Sarajevo – May 1st brings workers around the Western Balkans and the world a well-deserved break from work, but also reminds us of ongoing battles for improved working conditions, brain drain, long-term unemployment and undeclared work.
08 December 2023 | News
RCC ESAP 2: Western Balkan Public Employment Services Visit Employment Service of Slovenia to discuss aligning Western Balkan practices with the EU requirements
RCC ESAP 2 Organised a Two-day Thematic Study Visit to Employment Service of Slovenia to discuss Active Labour Market Policies and Measures: good practices, IT solutions, databases, statistics and reporting
27 October 2023 | News
RCC ESAP 2: Western Balkan Enforcement Authorities Explore Cyprus' Approach to Undeclared and Discuss Platform Work
RCC ESAP 2 Organised a Two-day Thematic Study Visit to Cyprus Labour Inspectorate, Focused on Tackling Undeclared Work in the Western Balkans within Its Mutual Assistance Projectshttp://esap.online
05 October 2023 | News
RCC ESAP 2: Strengthening Capacities of Western Balkans’ Public Employment Services for Alignment of the Labour Market Policies Databases with the EU Requirements
ESAP 2 organised regional workshop for Western Balkans’ Public Employment Services on classification and recording of Labour Market Policies and roadmaps for their alignment with the EU practices
29 September 2023 | News
RCC ESAP 2: Western Balkan Enforcement Authorities Address Challenges of Under-declared Work
Tirana – Under-declared work/envelope wages was a topic for discussion of the enforcement authorities from the Western Balkans at the one-day regional Workshop organised by the Regional Cooperation Council's (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform project (ESAP2) in Tirana, Albania today. The Workshop followed the successful completion of the Mutual Assistance Project (MAP) ...
25 May 2023 | News
RCC Board approves organisation’s Annual Report 2022/23, and adopts Financial Report 2022
Sarajevo – The participants of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Board approved the organisation’s Annual Report 2022/23 and adopted the Financial Report 2022 at their 49th meeting held in Sarajevo today. The Annual Report 2022/23 is expected to be endorsed at the RCC Annual Meeting and adopted at the SEECP Ministerial Meeting to take place on 4 and 5 June 2023, respectively, ...
04 May 2023 | News
Moderate progress of the Western Balkan economies regarding the European Pillar of Social Rights
(Sarajevo/Skopje) - The Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2 (ESAP 2) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) presented the 2022 edition of individual economy and regional overview reports on performance of the Western Balkan (WB) economies regarding the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) at the two-day hybrid event „Western Balkans 4 Decent working in living“, ...
15 March 2023 | News
Bregu: Continued all-inclusive regional cooperation remains key in strengthening economic resilience of Western Balkans
Sarajevo – “External risks arising from the current geopolitical crisis and the rise in commodity prices reinforce the purpose of the Common Regional Market agenda. Continued all-inclusive regional cooperation remains the key towards strengthening economic resilience of the Western Balkans,” said Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, ...
03 February 2023 | News
RCC: Nominations for Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022 open
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is happy to announce that the nomination process for the Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022 has begun! The RCC launched this initiative last year in the framework of the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2021-2024 and the Women Economic Empowerment Agenda to recognise women who have started and developed their own ...
24 November 2022 | News
Looking at Social Ability to Provide Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
Sarajevo – In the Western Balkans economies “most of the progress was registered in the areas of inclusion of children with disabilities, especially in the process of deinstitutionalisation of children with disability, inclusive education and support services offered at the community level”, reads the Regional Overview of Western Balkan Economies Regarding the European Pillar ...
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 ...
14 June 2022 | News
RCC Youth Lab Project hosts the final conference on youth employment in the Western Balkans
Budva/Sarajevo – “Inadequate employment opportunities are one of the biggest problem young people face. One in 3 young persons are unemployed, which means the Western Balkans youth unemployment rate is almost double the EU rate of 17%. According to Balkan Barometer 2022 – 18 out of 100 Western Balkan citizens worry about the brain drain, while 5 year ago that number was ...
18 May 2022 | News
Bregu: With slowed growth & inflation, higher energy & food prices, Western Balkans will have to amp-up regional cooperation
Sarajevo - It is very difficult to sugar-coat the severity of economic effects of the war on the Western Balkans. It is equally difficult to accurately predict the true and longer-term impact, or to identify the opportunities for the region along the way. Our realities today are drastically different, with the war in Ukraine sending shockwaves and exacerbating two trends that were already ...
16 March 2022 | News
Bregu: European perspective important for socio-economic progress, but also for security and stability
Sarajevo/Tirana – “The times we are living in are not glamorous, on the contrary these are dark moments. We are all heartened and deeply saddened by the unjust war Ukrainian people are going through. The economic impact of the war stretches beyond Ukraine's borders. Concern is present in the Western Balkans, as the geopolitical and economic problems make our region sensitive ...
25 November 2021 | News
Bregu: Being Europeans is not written in DNA but what you believe and fight for
“It’s not breaking news any longer that our youth is leaving the region. One out of 3 youngsters, age 18-24, in the Western Balkans confirms that they are ready to leave their homeland. We should understand the message – their choice of destination shows what’s missing in their own societies. We just need to observe, listen and the most importantly act –give ...
26 October 2021 | News
Youth-Tailored Solutions Require Youth Participation
Sarajevo/Online – “Cooperation, innovative solutions, equality, participation - these are the things we need today more than ever, as we establish an environment in which youth and policy makers sit together to constructively explore the ways in which youth priorities and needs can be met. To that end, let me congratulate the 40 members of the Pool of Experts being with us today ...
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 ...
13 October 2021 | News
RCC’s ESAP 2 project gathered its partners and beneficiaries at a 2-day hybrid event to discuss employment and social affairs
Sarajevo/Tirana – Western Balkans’ Social Scoreboard, and individual and regional overview reports on performance of the Western Balkan economies regarding the European Pillar of Social Rights, prepared by Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2 (ESAP 2) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), was presented at the two-day hybrid event ‘Employment and Social Affairs ...
24 June 2021 | News
Bregu: Balkan Barometer reveals human uncertainty and vulnerability are main concerns followed by some goodish news on benefits of regional cooperation
Tirana – “This, seventh in a row, Balkan Barometer shows human uncertainty and vulnerability are the main concerns followed by some goodish news which is the consciousness about the benefits of regional cooperation. For 49% of Western Balkan citizens, unemployment is the biggest problem, as it is for young people as well, while 46% are most worried about the economic situation. ...
22 June 2021 | News
RCC to Present Balkan Barometer 2021 - Public and Business Viewpoints on Situation in our Region
Tirana – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to present the 2021 edition of Balkan Barometer on Thursday, 24 June 2021, starting at 10:00, in Tirana. 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 ...
17 June 2021 | News
Bregu: Voice, concerns, hopes & expectations of the people from the region are core of the RCC work
Antalya – Leaders of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) approved the RCC-developed strategy for socio-economic development of South East Europe (SEE) in the next decade – SEE2030 Strategy, at their Summit held in Antalya, Turkey today.
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. ...
11 June 2021 | News
Data do matter for identifying effective measures and policies in addressing labour markets’ structural weaknesses, including informal employment in particular
Sarajevo/Online – “In 2019, the average employment rate in the Western Balkans (WB) grew to a historically high level, with new jobs being created throughout the region. New job creation by in large came to a halt in 2020 due to the effects of the coronavirus. Despite overall economic growth prior to the pandemic, relatively low activity and employment rates compared to ...
31 May 2021 | News
Bregu: With regional youth unemployment rate at 35.1% the need to act is clear, as youth is our most precious asset
Sarajevo/Online – “Youth and jobs has not been a good combination in the Western Balkans for some time. The average regional youth unemployment rate in 2020 was 35.1%, which is more than double the European Union (EU) rate of 16.9%. Some of it can be blamed on the COVID 19 pandemic that stopped job creation, but changing the situation with youth unemployment requires eliminating ...
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 ...
19 April 2021 | News
Greater engagement of social partners in tackling undeclared work in the Western Balkans is much needed, authorities and social partners agree
Sarajevo – “The Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2 (ESAP 2) project aims to support regional cooperation among the Western Balkan (WB) economies in transforming undeclared work into declared work, pursuing a holistic integrated strategic approach, akin to that of the European Union (EU). Enhanced cooperation between enforcement ...
16 April 2021 | News
Balance between prevention and deterrence one of key elements for successful, structured approach to formalizing undeclared work
Sarajevo – “COVID 19 pandemic introduced many new challenges to labour markets globally and in Western Balkans, as this region has low activity and employment rates on one hand and high rates of informal work on the other. Current times are very challenging and the pandemic is impacting both formal and informal jobs. We at the RCC ESAP 2 project are glad and honored to partner ...
19 November 2020 | News
Addressing livelihood topics of social rights - jobs, wages, access to education, health care – more important than ever
Sarajevo/Brussels/Tirana – “It is no longer news that Western Balkan societies fall short in many socio-economic aspects. We, together with our partners – governments in the region, European Union (EU) and many others, work to reduce this gap between the region and the EU. Common Regional Market recently adopted in Sofia is a plan on how to overcome these challenges by boosting ...
17 November 2020 | News
Tackling undeclared work in times of COVID 19 pandemic focuses on prevention of declared work sliding back into the undeclared zone
Online – “Main aim of our work being promotion of regional cooperation in transforming the undeclared into declared work in the Western Balkans has so far resulted in gathering of the relevant region’s institutions around the regional Network. Today, at its 2nd plenary meeting the Western Balkans Network Tackling Undeclared Work shows commitment to deal with this demanding ...
01 October 2020 | News
Economic integration among the Western Balkans 6, and with the EU, is the most important in this moment
Tirana/Sarajevo – “I believe that closer relations in the process of European integration of the region, especially economic integration among the Western Balkans (WB) 6, and with the EU, are the most important in this moment. Because regional economic integration of the WB is not a self-standing process, but an instrument to increase region’s convergence with the EU single ...
30 September 2020 | News
Moving Away from “Reducing Undeclared Work” Approach to “Transforming It into Declared Work” in the Western Balkans
Sarajevo – “Informal economy is a chronic problem of many economies, Western Balkans’ in particular, as estimates show that up to 30% of the employed persons in the region work undeclared. Today’s meeting is about to explore ways on how all institutions in charge of this issue – Labour Ministries, Inspectorates and Tax Authorities, can coordinate their work on ...
03 July 2020 | News
Youth Unemployment in the Western Balkans: Youth is Crucial in Designing of Employment Policies
RCC’s Western Balkans Youth Lab and Employment and Social Affairs Platform Projects organized webinar tackling policymaking and youth unemployment in the region Sarajevo – “Numerous stories of unemployed young people across the region who want the leave in pursuit of a job and better life are loud and yet also seem silent. That is why the Western Balkan Youth Lab (WBYT) project ...
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 ...
23 June 2020 | News
The Shape of the Things to Come - Presentation of Balkan Barometer 2020
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) will present 2020 edition of Balkan Barometer on Wednesday 24 June 2020. This annual public and business opinion survey of the RCC examines the perception and expectations on life and work, prevalent socio-economic and political trends & regional and European integration in the Western Balkan. The 2020 edition presents for the first ...
12 June 2020 | News
ESAP 2: Undeclared work in the Western Balkans needs to be formalized, to increase both public revenues and social security
Sarajevo – “The global pandemic caused by the COVID 19 virus has had a profound impact on businesses and workers, as well as economies across the Western Balkans. The undeclared workers, however, have been disproportionately affected since they generally work in low productivity jobs and have little to no savings, and are also mostly excluded from the government’s aid packages. ...
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 ...
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.
08 March 2020 | News
RCC’s ‘’WE’’ campaign: Don’t be afraid to dream and to make your dreams come true!
Sarajevo – “We are in the 3rd decade of 21st century and yet the tales of successful business women are not frequent but rather breaking news. In the Western Balkans even more so as only 1 in 5 women owns a business. And not only that – employment rate of women in the region in 2018 was only 43.7%”, said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).
28 January 2020 | News
Bregu: Brain drain the biggest challenge of this decade - Western Balkans working age population declined by more than 400,000 in past 5 years
Sarajevo – “More than 700 000 jobs have been added to the workforce during the past seven years and unemployment has moved for almost a quarter (23%) to around 16%, across the region. They say a tide lifts all boats, large and small. However, not everybody benefited from these economic and labour market improvements during the last decade”, said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General ...
22 November 2019 | News
16 New Grants for Tourism Development and Promotion in Western Balkans Awarded by RCC, EU
Durres – “Today, with presenting the results of the completed 12 and awarding 16 new grants for the tourism development and promotion in the Western Balkans, we are showing you a part of the success story from this region, and it is not a success of policy-making or GDP but of the people. For us, tourism project is not just a matter of how many grantees are with us today – 16, or 12 ...
07 November 2019 | News
Via Dinarica just keeps getting better
It is 11 o’clock on an idle Monday and about to start raining in a tiny village of Rekë e Allagës in Rugova Mountain, all green with pine trees. Fetije Nikiqi is well under way to prepare cheese pie in a wooden stove while Hozefa Indorewala looks to the sky from the porch thinking just how far up the mountain have his friends gone and how damp might they be as they return for lunch.
05 November 2019 | News
Low women employment and labour market skills mismatch in Western Balkans call for stronger cooperation
Istanbul – “The women unemployment in the Western Balkans is 60%. Analyses show a big mismatch in the labour market(s) between the demands and offered sets of skills and knowledge. Almost half of the students in the region enrol into the Humanities, Social Sciences and Business study programmes (49%) and only 24% of them choose Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects, ...
15 October 2019 | News
RCC: Western Balkans pay for undeclared work - with significant portion of public revenues, lack of fair competition and decent working conditions
Sarajevo – “Informal employment is work that is legal in itself but not declared to the authorities for tax, social security and/or labour law purposes. As such, it plays an important role in all Western Balkan economies, as widespread informality deprives governments of potential tax revenue, produces unfair competition and often affects workers’ rights and decent working conditions. ...
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 ...
14 June 2019 | News
Economic growth goes hand in hand with human capital development – investment in education must increase
Luxemburg – “Years in a row our opinion survey Balkan Barometer shows that unemployment is the biggest concern for 67% of the citizens in the Western Balkans (WB), and our alarms should have already gone off, triggering adequate reactions. This region has talent everywhere but their skills have to be developed properly. The answer is in coordinated and coherent policies that will ...
26 April 2019 | News
RCC’s ESAP: Share of informal employment in Western Balkans ranges from 18 to 33% - holistic approach necessary to tackle this issue
Sarajevo – “Share of informal/undeclared employment in the region varies from 18,1% in Republic of North Macedonia to 33% in Montenegro1 ,”said Nand Shani, Team Leader of the Regional Cooperation (RCC)’s Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP). Tackling this widespread phenomenon was the main topic of the workshops, organized throughout the Western Balkans by ESAP ...
21 March 2019 | News
RCC Secretary General Bregu calls for more efficient future action and better communication with the citizens
Sarajevo – Coordination Board of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) South East Europe’s growth Strategy (SEE 2020) has met in Sarajevo today, to reflect on the implementation results, identify potential action synergies for further cooperation as well as post-2020 regional priorities and strategic framework.
08 March 2019 | News
Listen to women – they are the key to unlocking the economic potential of this region
Sarajevo - Instead of happy 8th of March, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is introducing the idea of the “WE”, starting with Nada Markovic, a pioneer of the first female cooperative in Bosnia and Hercegovina.
18 January 2019 | News
On-the-job-training programme important for strengthening the Western Balkans labour market outcomes
Western Balkans’ Public Employment Services and Labour Ministries peers review on-the-job training programmes and practices Tirana – Representatives of Public Employment Services (PES) and Ministries of Labour from the Western Balkans economies gathered in Tirana for a 2-day regional workshop to review on-the-job training programmes. The Workshop was organised by the Employment ...
10 December 2018 | News
More jobs and changed approach to employment of Roma community in the enlargement region necessary to combat poverty and social dependence
Budapest - Regional conference on innovative approaches to employment of Roma, jointly organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s projects Roma Integration 2020 and Employment and Social Affairs Platform (EASP), and Roma Education Fund (REF) started in Budapest today.
27 November 2018 | News
RCC ESAP: Internship Programmes in focus of Regional Peer Review Workshop in Skopje
Skopje – A two-day a regional peer review workshop focusing on internship programmes ended in Skopje today. The Workshop was organised by the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) project.
29 October 2018 | News
RCC ESAP: Supporting exchange of experience on development and implementation of sector budget support
Skopje – Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) supported the visit of the Albanian delegation from the Ministry of Economy and Finance to Skopje today.
09 October 2018 | News
RCC hosts the third meeting of MAP REA Coordinators from Western Balkan Six
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) hosted the 3rd meeting of Coordinators of Multi-Annual Action Plan (MAP) on Regional Economic Area (REA) in Western Balkan Six (WB6), discussing the implementation results, next milestones, the most pressing challenges and reiterating commitments, in Brussels today.
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.
05 October 2018 | News
Local Employment Partnerships in Focus of Regional Peer Review Workshop
Sarajevo/Tesanj/Prnjavor - Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) organised a regional 3-day Workshop on Local Employment Partnerships, which started in Sarajevo and continued with field visits to municipalities of Tesanj and Prnjavor that ended today.
31 July 2018 | News
Pristina: ESAP helps Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to develop its monitoring framework
Pristina – In the period April-July 2018, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) through its Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project (ESAP) helped the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Kosovo* to develop the strategy monitoring tools and increase their capacity to plan and perform a monitoring process, including reporting and feedback on the progress in the implementation ...
12 July 2018 | News
RCC's ESAP: Albanian Public Employment Service visits their colleagues in Pristina
Pristina – Upon request of the representatives of the Albanian Public Employment Service (PES), the Regional Cooperation Council's (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) project, within its technical assistance facility, took the Albanian PES on a study visit to their PES colleagues in Pristina.
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.
05 July 2018 | News
Major milestone in SEE 2020 Strategy implementation: Western Balkans ADDS more than 600 000 JOBS
Brussels – Governing Board of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) South East Europe 2020 Strategy (SEE 2020) endorsed the 2018 Annual Report on Strategy’s implementation (ARI), at its fifth meeting held in Brussels today, in the eve of the presentation of the RCC’s Balkan barometer 2018.
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 ...
20 June 2018 | News
Brussels: RCC's ESAP presents Western Balkans employment and labour market trends and developments
Brussels – Regional Cooperation Council' s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) Project presented in Brussels today employment and labour market trends and developments in the Western Balkans (WB). The policy discussion gathered representatives of WB Ministries of Labour and Public Employment Services (PES), European Commission’s Directorates-General for Employment, Social ...
19 June 2018 | News
RCC’s Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project: Joint actions to enhance performance and promote mutual learning among Western Balkans Ministries of Labour and Public Employment Services agreed
Brussels - Representatives of the Western Balkans (WB) Ministries of Labour and Public Employment Services (PES) met in Brussels today, within the framework of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project (ESAP), to discuss main trends and challenges in employment and labour markets in the region, as well as key outcomes of regional cooperation ...
08 June 2018 | News
RCC’s ESAP Project and Western Balkans’ Public Employment Services invited to present their joint work at Annual Meeting of the EU PES Network
Sofia – Western Balkan’s Public Employment Services (PES) gathered around Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) Project were, for the first time ever, invited to participate as observers in a 9th Annual Meeting of the European Union’s (EU) PES Network, that took place in Sofia, Bulgaria 7-8 June 2018.
31 May 2018 | News
Peers from Ministries' of Labour and PES from the region talk about youth employment
Herceg Novi – Representatives of the Ministries of Labour and Public Employment Services (PES) offices from the Western Balkan (WB) economies together with relevant regional and international experts in the field, shared experiences and discussed youth employment programmes at the regional peer-review workshop, organised by the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and ...
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).
17 May 2018 | News
RCC at the Sofia Western Balkans Summit: Regional Cooperation Council proliferated regional cooperation across all sectors
Sofia – The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, Goran Svilanovic, took part at the EU-Western Balkans Summit hosted by the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in Sofia today. The Summit is dedicated to strengthen links between the EU and the Western Balkans in infrastructure, digital and human connectivity. It brought together EU and WB leaders, as well as ...
30 April 2018 | News
RCC’s ESAP helps Employment Agency in Pristina in drafting their Rules of Procedure
Pristina – During a two months period at the beginning of 2018, the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project (ESAP) provided expert support in drafting the rules of procedure of the Advisory Board of the newly established Employment Agency of Kosovo*. ESAP also assisted this Employment Agency in the development of internal rules of ...
23 April 2018 | News
RCC’s ESAP help Montenegro Employment Agency in upgrading their Information Technology System
Podgorica – The Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project (ESAP)provided technical assistance to the Employment Agency of Montenegro in upgrading the Information Technology System in accordance with the European Employment Service (EURES) requirements.
20 April 2018 | News
ESAP: Regional Workshop on Employment of Persons with Disabilities in the Western Balkans
Belgrade – The Regional Workshop on Employment of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in the Western Balkans (WB), which was held in Belgrade on 19-20 April 2018, was organised jointly in the framework of two regional projects: Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) and Promoting Inclusive Labour Market Solutions in the Western Balkans.
12 April 2018 | News
ESAP: Self-employment programmes in the Western Balkans discussed in Pristina
Prishtina – Representatives of Ministries of Labour and Public Employment Services (PES) from the Western Balkans discussed self-employment programmes at a two-day regional workshop within the framework of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) project, held in Prishtina 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.
21 February 2018 | News
Western Balkans should enhance its competitiveness and improve its market orientation to fight unemployment
Although the Western Balkans region suffered the dramatic employment fall in the period following the global economic crisis 2008-2011, “the situation recovered over the subsequent five years and by 2016 total employment had again reached 6.5 million, representing an increase of 8.9%”, reads recently published report ‘Labour Markets in the Western Balkans: Performance, Causes and Policy ...
30 January 2018 | News
Vocational Training Centres analyse their legal framework with RCC’s ESAP assistance
Pristina – Regional Cooperation Council's (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project (ESAP) project provided technical assistance to Vocational Training Centres in Kosovo* in analysing their current legal framework and the documents related to vocational training, and proposed a concept for service contracts or Public-Private Partnership arrangements that could ...
29 December 2017 | News
RCC's ESAP assists Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in Pristina to establish an integrated information system
Pristina – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), through its Employment and Social Affairs Project (ESAP), provided a support upon request of Kosovo* on establishing an integrated information system in the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. ESAP analysed the current systems and databases and proposed a concept for the new system, including detailed procedures for its ...
22 November 2017 | News
RCC, ETF continue building human capital in the region
Brussels – The Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Secretary General, Goran Svilanovic, and newly appointed Director of the European Training Foundation (ETF), Cesare Onestini, signed an agreement on continuation of cooperation between the two organisations, in Brussels today.
01 November 2017 | News
National Workshops on Public Employment Services Benchlearning kick-off in Pristina
A series of 12 workshops, two per each of the Western Balkans six economies, on Public Employment Services (PES) benchlearning, organised by the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employments and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP), kicked-off in Pristina today.
31 October 2017 | News
RCC hosts the first meeting of coordinators for the Western Balkans Regional Economic Area
Brussels - Following the Trieste Western Balkans (WB) Summit and the endorsement of the RCC’s Multi Action Plan (MAP) for a Regional Economic Area (REA) in the WB6, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Western Balkans Chamber Investment Forum (CIF), organized the first Meeting of the MAP coordinators that ended in Brussels today.
14 September 2017 | News
RCC’s ESAP: Belgrade hosts regional training on benchlearning for Public Employment Services in the Western Balkans
Belgrade - The first ever assessors training on benchlearning for representatives of Public Employment Services (PES) from the Western Balkans, organized by the Regional Cooperation Council’ (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Regional Platform (ESAP) project, was held in Belgrade today.
18 July 2017 | News
Representatives of Western Balkan Public Employment Services discuss qualitative benchmarking
Tivat - Representatives of Western Balkan Public Employment Services (PES) met in Tivat today to discuss qualitative benchmarking, in the framework of the Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) regional project.
12 July 2017 | News
Trieste: Six Western Balkans leaders endorse Regional Economic Area
Trieste - The leaders of Western Balkans Six (WB6) endorsed the Multi-annual Action Plan on a Regional Economic Area in the Western Balkans (MAP), at the summit in Trieste today. The MAP has been created to enable unobstructed flow of goods, services, capital and highly skilled labour, making the region more attractive for investment and commerce, accelerating convergence with ...
21 June 2017 | News
Skopje: Regional public employment services work together to improve measures leading to reduction of unemployment
Skopje – Labour market statistics officials from the Public Employment Services (PES) of the Western Balkan economies agreed upon a set of quantitative indicators that are to be collected for the PES benchmarking analysis, at the meeting in Skopje today, organized under auspices of joint Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) regional project ...
10 May 2017 | News
RCC's ESAP Project assists Montenegro in preparing the new Labour Law
Kolasin – Employment and Social Affairs Platform Project (ESAP) of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) supported the Montenegrin Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare by providing technical input and assistance to a national workshop on preparing the new Labour Law.
31 March 2017 | News
Serbian journalists in a visit to the Regional Cooperation Council Secretariat
Sarajevo – A group of 11 Serbian journalists and representatives of their Government’s Team for social inclusion and poverty reduction visited the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat in Sarajevo today, as a part of the thematic study tour to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
21 February 2017 | News
Skopje: ESAP co-organises National Consultative Meeting on the Employment and Social Reform Programme
Skopje – The Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) project of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) provided support to a National Consultative Meeting on the Employment and Social Reform Programme, held in February 2017 in Skopje.
27 October 2016 | News
Western Balkan's public employment services agree on concrete actions to enhance their work
Belgrade/Sarajevo – Representatives of public employment services (PES) of the Western Balkan economies agreed on concrete steps and actions envisaging future cooperation under the Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) project at their first meeting that took place in Belgrade, today.
29 June 2016 | News
ILO and RCC launch project for better labour market governance in the Western Balkans
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will work together to further regional cooperation in order to achieve more effective labour market governance in the Western Balkans. The new joint project, funded by the European Union, was launched in Sarajevo today and presented by Goran Svilanovic, RCC Secretary General, Antonio Graziosi, ...
01 March 2016 | News
Three million euro for boosting jobs in the Western Balkans
Brussels - The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) will jointly create a Western Balkans Platform on Employment and Social Affairs in the framework of a new European Commission funded project signed today in Brussels.