News Archive
27 March 2024 | News
Common Regional Market region's vehicle to EU Single Market
Skopje – Ministers of European Affairs of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) expressed their commitment to the continuation of efforts in two important strategic agendas in our region: the Common Regional Market (CRM) for the Western Balkans aligned with the New Growth Plan for the region, and the South East Europe (SEE) 2030 Strategy, at their meeting held in Skopje ...
29 February 2024 | News
Bregu: The time is ticking on defining the future of our region
Tirana - In a Joint Statement issued at the Growth and Convergence for the Western Balkans Six Conference held in Tirana today the Leaders of the Western Balkans Six (WB6) commended the work of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), underscored the region's commitment to integration and emphasized enhanced cooperation with the EU.
08 February 2024 | News
Bregu: Circular economy can create jobs and unlock economic opportunities
The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) launched the Western Balkans Green and Circular Economy Stakeholders Platform, consisting of government, business, donor, and CSO representatives, at a high-level meeting taking place in Pristina today.
22 January 2024 | News
New Phase of the Common Regional Market to Be Ready for Leaders' Endorsement at the Next Berlin Process Summit
Skopje - The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, took part in the Western Balkans Meets EU, a WB leaders' meeting in Skopje today. The meeting dedicated to the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans has been hosted by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovachevski.
13 December 2023 | News
Bregu: Fully functional Common Regional Market can be our vessel to the EU Single Market
Brussels - The European Union (EU) and Western Balkan (WB) leaders reiterated the shared commitment to step up the efforts to enhance integration of the Western Balkans with the EU single market, with the WB Common Regional Market (CRM) serving as a stepping stone for region’s EU integration, at the EU-WB Summit hosted by the EU Council in Brussels today.
11 December 2023 | News
European Union-Western Balkans Cooperation in Focus This Week
RCC to present winners of the Regional Butterfly Innovation Award 2023 in Sofia The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to present the winners of the second edition of Regional Butterfly Innovation Award at a ceremony co-organised with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, on 12 December 2023 in Sofia. The Awards will be presented by the RCC Secretary General Majlinda Bregu ...
08 November 2023 | News
RCC Board praises the work of the organisation and its Secretary General
Sarajevo – Opening the 50th meeting of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Board in Sarajevo today, the RCC Secretary General, Majlinda Bregu, shared positive outcomes and feedback to the start of implementation of EU-WB Roaming Reductions and the results of continuing regional cooperation presented in the last couple of weeks at the Berlin Process Summit and other meetings.
19 October 2023 | News
Imagine. Innovate. Create: RCC opens applications for Butterfly Innovation Award 2023
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is inviting creative minds to apply for the 2nd round of Regional Butterfly Innovation Award for 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.
16 October 2023 | News
Bregu: Another agreement prepared by the RCC signed today in Tirana
Tirana – The Heads of Governments of the Western Balkans Six signed one more agreement under the Common Regional Market (CRM) Action Plan’s mobility agenda, a process facilitated by the RCC - on the recognition of professional qualifications of nurses, veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, and midwives – at the Berlin Process Summit held in Tirana today.
12 October 2023 | News
Bregu: Supporting cities in accelerating their transition to environmentally-friendly & digitally advanced urban environments is imperative
Tirana – The first Local Self-Governments Forum, organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) together with the Municipality of Tirana and the Network of Association of Local Authorities of South East Europe (NALAS), opened in Tirana today.
06 October 2023 | News
Bregu: Making the enlargement credible both for the region and the EU lies ahead of us, with keys in our hands
Tirana – “A success story of EU-rules based regional cooperation and a symbolic entry ticket to EU single market saw the light of the day on 1 October – when the EU-Western Balkans roaming reductions came into effect. A demonstration of commitments made and pledges upkept. Against a very difficult backdrop in our region currently, this 1 October we managed all together, ...
04 October 2023 | News
Bregu: By working on digital transformation we are working on Europeanisation of our region
Sarajevo – The sixth Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS), hosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina and supported by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), opened this morning in Sarajevo.
03 October 2023 | News
Bregu: Balkathon is a platform for development of young people's entrepreneurial skills and creating new jobs
Sarajevo - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) presents winners of the fourth Western Balkans online competition for the best digital solutions, BALKATHON 4.0:
02 October 2023 | News
Who will win 2023 Balkathon? Follow us live tomorrow and find out
Sarajevo – The grand finale of the fourth Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s online competition for the best digital solutions in the Western Balkans, BALKATHON 4.0 is to take place tomorrow, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 starting at 10.00 hrs in Sarajevo. The event will be livestreamed at RCC’s YouTube channel.
02 October 2023 | News
Bregu: EU-Western Balkans roaming reductions in force as of today
TIRANA, October 2, 2023 — In a significant stride towards regional cooperation and affordable mobile communication, the EU-Western Balkans Roaming Declaration, signed at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana on December 6, 2022, has officially taken effect, marking 1 October 2023, as a date of change.
26 September 2023 | News
Bregu: A human-centric Europe, with Western Balkans firmly in its fold, is the best investment in peace and security for the entire continent
Tirana – “A human-centric Europe, that is adapted, reformed, rebooted and more - with Western Balkans firmly in its fold - is the best investment in peace and security for the entire continent! The Western Balkans has made significant progress in the last two decades, but we are not where we wanted and should be and unfortunately, friction amongst countries persists, and conflicts ...
13 July 2023 | News
RCC’s trademark digital competition - Balkathon 4.0 - is on! Apply Now!
Sarajevo – For the fourth year in a row, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is launching region’s trademark online competition for the best digital ideas and solutions from the Western Balkans - Balkathon 4.0. Applications are open until 13 September.
30 June 2023 | News
Bregu: Crucial step to reinforcing critical digital capacities in our region is phasing in EU policies and programmes
Brussels – “Today’s accession to the Digital Europe Programme for four economies from our region is a major development and crucial step to reinforce critical digital capacities in EU and WB. What once seemed almost utopic is now a reality since 2021 - with the regional roaming fees eliminated. We continue to keep our promises on the roaming agenda. During the first Regulatory ...
16 June 2023 | News
RCC wins annual Prespa Forum Dialogue 2023 award
Struga – The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, took part at the annual Prespa Forum Dialogue (PFD) 2023, taking place 15-16 June 2023 in Struga, North Macedonia, where she received the PFD Award on behalf of RCC, spoke at the panel on regional cooperation, and held a series of bilateral meetings with EU and regional high officials. ...
12 June 2023 | News
Bregu: Region’s special potential lies in the diversity of possible entrepreneurial engagement that has not been fully utilized just yet
Frankfurt – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Majlinda Bregu was in Frankfurt, Germany, today, taking part at the Digisustain Conference at a panel dedicated to regional competencies and green investment opportunities in the Western Balkans. Digisustain gathers innovators, representatives of non-governmental sector, financial institutions and best-practice leaders ...
05 June 2023 | News
Bregu: Our region deserves a re-energised enlargement process and membership advantages in advance of full accession
Budva – Ministers of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) commended the efforts of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in fostering regional cooperation and integration of the Western Balkan economies into the European Union (EU), focusing on the set of specific achievements in the past twelve months: RCC-coordinated EU-WB roaming ...
04 June 2023 | News
Bregu: This year marks one of the most impactful ones for the Western Balkans when it comes to regional cooperation
Budva - "This year marks one of the most impactful ones for the Western Balkans, marking the long-awaited turning point towards commitments taken by the economies of the region, through the Common Regional Market (CRM). With integrity, collegiality and competence - three words of tradition and challenge, we as RCC, together with our regional organisations and in close partnership with ...
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 April 2023 | News
Bregu: Economic importance of tourism can make or break any region
Tirana – “Western Balkans pre-pandemic tourism showed positive trends. More than 12 million people visited the region, which brought a profit of 7.2 billion EUR. Tourism made 10.2% of the region’s GDP and accounted for more than 25% of exports. While one can go figure digging through reports, the core question for all of us is how to position Western Balkans at the world ...
30 March 2023 | News
Bregu: Region should remain steadfast on sustainable, green transition and decarbonisation path
“The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is a dynamic and evolving initiative that, like a living organism, requires collective efforts of both the governmental and non-governmental sectors to nurture, grow and shape towards a sustainable plan for the future. In a developing region, such as ours, the concerns are related to daily life, and this makes it more difficult to think about ...
28 March 2023 | News
Bregu: Digitalisation momentum in Western Balkans calls for improvement e-service accessibility improvement and reduction of digital divide
Sarajevo – Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and European Investment Bank (EIB) gathered region’s ministers and other high ranking government officials, local and international experts in digital projects, key donors and financial institutions, as well as business representatives from the Western Balkans at the “Financing Digitalisation ...
27 March 2023 | News
RCC, EBRD, EIB organising Investing in Digitalisation in the Western Balkans Conference tomorrow in Sarajevo
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Global are organising Investing in Digitalisation in the Western Balkans Conference, that is to take place on Tuesday, on 28 March 2023 in Sarajevo.
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, ...
10 March 2023 | News
UN Women and RCC join forces to advance women’s empowerment in the Western Balkans
UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) will join forces to advance the digital transformation in the Western Balkans to promote cooperation in the region, as well as advance women’s economic empowerment, and the green agenda.
09 March 2023 | News
RCC presents Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of 2022
Tirana - Dhurata Thanasi Daneri, Snjezana Köpruner, Elki Shehu, Mirjana Babic, Zagorka Blazevska, Marijana Gligoric are Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022, as presented at a ceremony organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in Tirana today.
08 March 2023 | News
RCC to present Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022
Sarajevo/Tirana – On the International Women’s Day, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is to present the Western Balkans Women Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022, at a ceremony to be held on 9 March in Tirana.
07 February 2023 | News
United Group Joins the EU-WB Roaming Declaration
Brussels/Sarajevo - United Group, one of the largest telecommunications and media operators in the South East Europe including Nova, Total TV, Telemach, SBB and more regional telecommunication platforms, signed the European Union (EU)-Western Balkans (WB) Roaming Declaration at a meeting of telecommunications operators from EU and WB in Brussels today organised by the European Commission ...
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 ...
18 January 2023 | News
Bregu: To have wider choices, earn more, and live better - Choose STEM Future
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is launching a campaign dubbed “Choose STEM future” to encourage young women and girls to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) by bringing forth inspiring role models of successful women in STEM profession from the Western Balkans (WB). This campaign was created as part of the regional Women ...
06 December 2022 | News
Reduction of data roaming prices between WB and EU to start as of 1 October 2023
At the EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Tirana today, the telecommunications operators from the European Union (EU) and the Western Balkans signed a Roaming Declaration enabling the reduction of the roaming charges between the EU and the Western Balkans as of 1 October 2023.
22 November 2022 | News
RCC, WB6CIF gather European investors, present opportunities and advantages of doing business in the Western Balkans
Ljubljana – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum (WBCIF) gathered European investors from Austria, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, WB investment promotion agencies, ministries responsible for investment policy and promotion, regional organisations and international financial institutions to present opportunities and benefits of investing ...
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 ...
24 October 2022 | News
Bregu: Keeping the Green Agenda implementation torch lit is difficult, but there are no U-turns in a climate change-vulnerable region like ours
Berlin/Sarajevo – “Keeping the torch lit on the implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans that was developed in times of stability was a hellishly difficult task in these times of adversity. It is clearly overshadowed by the impact of the war and the pan-European energy price surge. There will be no quick fixes and silver bullets for this colossal challenge ahead ...
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 ...
19 October 2022 | News
European Union and Western Balkans mobile operators to work together on steps, ought to start EU-WB roaming charges reduction soon
Sarajevo/Brussels – The European Union (EU) and the Western Balkans (WB) mobile operators met today to discuss the Roadmap on lowering the roaming charges between the EU and our region, at the meeting organised by the European Commission. Olivér Várhelyi, EU Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner, Thierry Breton, EU Internal Market Commissioner, and Majlinda Bregu, ...
24 September 2022 | News
RCC co-organises SEECP foreign ministers' meeting in New York
New York – "Entire South East Europe finds itself facing similar challenges and similar opportunities, from energy security to food crisis, and regional cooperation is the key for them in the period to follow," said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), at the meeting of the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) foreign ministers, ...
21 September 2022 | News
Bregu: Digitalisation necessitates an intergenerational approach
Pristina – “Today is a great day for Pristina. It is the centre of gravity of one of the greatest Berlin Process initiatives – the Western Balkans Digital Summit. Pristina today bursts and radiates with the dynamism of so many start-ups, companies, experts and policy makers – all united in their drive to harness the potentials of digitisation for our region’s ...
09 June 2022 | News
Bregu: As long as we continue to subscribe to dialogue, compromise and cooperation, we invest in long-term stability, security and prosperity
Thessaloniki – “Under the political guidance of SEECP and in consultations with all relevant actors and stakeholders, RCC identified those gaps in which the region should invest with technical as well as political capital. These all fall under the category of sustainable development, green and digital transformation, pooling of knowledge and resources, and enhancing inclusivity. ...
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 ...
12 May 2022 | News
Bregu: Removing barriers is the first step in positioning Western Balkans at the world tourism map
Tirana – “Tourism has a vast potential as a major catalyst for job creation and a driving force for economic growth and development especially for tourism dependent regions like ours. In 2019 more than 12 million people visited Western Balkans, which brought us a profit of 7.2 billion euros. The post-pandemic period of 2021 shows 70% recovery in all tourism visits, while WB regional ...
06 May 2022 | News
Balkathon 3.0 is on: RCC supports the best digital solutions in the Western Balkans
Sarajevo – For the third time in a row, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is launching an online competition for the best digital ideas and solutions from the Western Balkans - Balkathon 3.0. Applications are open until 16 June.
20 April 2022 | News
Bregu: Enhanced regional cooperation and clear enlargement prospect for the region are vital to overcome challenges
Brussels/Sarajevo – “The war in Ukraine will affect economic growth in the region. Although share of economic output directly tied to Russia and Ukraine is relatively small for the Western Balkans as a whole, the economic ties on essential sectors such as energy and agriculture have exposed the region vulnerability and raised the inflation. The escalation of conflict is already ...
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.
08 March 2022 | News
Western Balkans: RCC to present ‘Women Who Launch – Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship’
Sarajevo/Tirana – Instead of happy 8th of March, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is announcing the launching of the Western Balkans (WB) Regional Network of Women in Entrepreneurship, at an event taking place this Friday (11 March) in Tirana. The Launch will gather a number of businesswomen from the entire region, and also serve as an opportunity to recognise WB Women Entrepreneurs ...
20 February 2022 | News
Bregu: Western Balkans’ growth potential can be unlocked only through regional economic integration
Munich – “European integration and transatlantic cooperation should not look decoupled in the Western Balkans (WB). It’s high time to put the process of EU accession of the WB into the spotlight before too late becomes a lifetime. This is the centre of gravity for the future of the Western Balkans. The European perspective is the drive that makes the process of cooperation ...
16 December 2021 | News
Bregu: In January 2022 RCC will launch the first regional Butterfly Innovation Award to encourage young innovators around the region
Bregu: In January 2022 RCC will launch the first regional Butterfly Innovation Award to encourage young innovators around the region RCC hosts the first Western Balkans Butterfly Innovation & Business Forum Skopje/Sarajevo – “On average, only 1 or 2 out of 100 caterpillars make it to become butterflies. Similarly, between 90% and 95% of start-ups worldwide fail within ...
14 December 2021 | News
Bregu: It will take 257 years to close the current gender gap worldwide
Sarajevo – “Women in the Western Balkans account for only 27.5% of business owners and just 14.2% of companies’ top managers are females. Despite an evolving ecosystem of start-ups and innovation hubs in the Western Balkans, the number of women start-up entrepreneurs remains low, accounting for only 10-12% of founders. It will take 135.6 years to close the current gender ...
15 November 2021 | News
Bregu: The antidote to slowing down EU enlargement process is more ambitious integration of Western Balkans in the EU single market policies
Brussels/Sarajevo: “European perspective of the Western Balkans is the drive that makes the process of cooperation beneficial to all in the long-term. I believe EU has all the leverage needed to keep the EU perspective in WB alive. Without a credible path to EU membership, the WB could easily succumb to regional nationalism” said Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council ...
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
Bregu proposes creation of ‘Digital Identity’ system for Western Balkan citizens, modelled on the EU one
Podgorica – “We are racing to reach high standards of EU MS. Despite trying to run with the same speed as EU MS, we started our race later and hence we can never reach EU unless “phasing in” in EU policies is duly implemented,” said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) at the closing of the 4th Digital Summit of the Western ...
12 October 2021 | News
Digital Solutions: Six new ‘made in Western Balkans’ products presented at the 4th Digital Summit
Sarajevo/Podgorica – Six new ‘made in Western Balkans’ digital products have been presented at the 4th WB Digital Summit in Podgorica today. Authors of the products connecting digital with organic food, agriculture, sales, health, transportation services, small businesses, and environment-friendly plastic are all the winners of the second Balkathon, regional annual competition ...
06 October 2021 | News
Bregu: It is crunch time to deliver on reducing roaming costs between the EU and Western Balkans
Brdo pri Kranju/Sarajevo – “As the agendas of regional cooperation build in intensity and challenges get bigger, we witness daily that the process of cooperation among Western Balkan Six cannot afford a stalemate,” said Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General, Majlinda Bregu, at the EU-Western Balkans Summit that gathered EU and WB leaders at Brdo pri Kranju ...
06 September 2021 | News
Bregu: RCC to launch regional coalition on jobs and skills to keep youth in the region
Skopje – “There is still high interest of youngsters to stay in the region. And this is our advantage. They are our greatest asset. They are the engine driving regional cooperation and EU accession because they see the opportunities and they do not carry the historic baggage of conflict from previous generations.”, said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation ...
02 July 2021 | News
Regional Roaming Agreement is clear: Roaming charges in the Western Balkans are now ZERO
The Regional Cooperation Council is pleased and happy that the roam like at home has entered into force in the Western Balkans as of 1 July. We take pride and are happy that this successful process we facilitated in eliminating barriers, borders, and tariff related to mobile traffic in the region has finally happened. It is result of the hard work between the region’s governments, regulatory ...
02 July 2021 | News
Bregu: 71% of young people from Western Balkans would go live and work abroad – this is an alarm bell for us all
Ohrid – “The prospect of potential EU membership has been a driving force during all these years, for all Western Balkan economies. According to the Balkan Barometer data, the support of Western Balkans citizens of the EU membership is steadily increasing. Compared to 2016, when it was supported by 39% of WB citizens, 62% of the citizens are supporting it now. We don’t know ...
27 June 2021 | News
As of 1 July roaming in the Western Balkans will be 0 - Stay Charged, Roam Free
Sarajevo – As of 1 July 2021 the entire Western Balkans will be a roaming free zone. Roaming costs between Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia will be zero.
25 June 2021 | News
Bregu: People want and need to be connected in many ways and Roaming Free region is one of the ways enabling it
Podgorica – “People want and need to be connected in many ways and Roaming Free region is one of the ways enabling it. Looking back three years ago, when the Western Balkan Leaders decided to lower the roaming prices within the region, no one had thought that we would have region with 0 roaming charges that soon. And here we are, counting days before Roaming Free Western Balkans,” ...
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. ...
10 June 2021 | News
Bregu: The distance between the vision & plan for Common Regional Market calls for more resolute actions
Tirana – “EU integration support in the Western Balkans continues to increase: this year it is backed up by 62% of citizens compared to 59% of last year. The support of our citizens and businesses of regional cooperation is even higher - 77% of citizens believe regional cooperation can contribute to better political, economic or security situation at home, while 69% of businesses ...
08 June 2021 | News
Bregu: Common Regional Market is a rule of thumb, not a law of nature
Sarajevo/Tirana – “Common Regional Market (CRM) is a rule of thumb, not a law of nature. It doesn’t apply to every single national vision a government or economy in the region has, nor to every kind of good or bad bilateral relations. It is a broaden-and-build plan, endorsed by the Leaders of this region to enable a better region. The RCC is only trying to steer an intense ...
28 May 2021 | News
Bregu: Congratulations to all Balkathon winners who showed young people of our region are innovative and creative
Sarajevo/ Podgorica/Tirana – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) presents winners of the second Western Balkans online competition for the best digital solutions, BALKATHON 2.0:
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 ...
07 May 2021 | News
Bregu: Region’s efforts on the Common Regional Market reform agenda are widely recognized & supported
RCC hosts the first Donor Coordination meeting on Common Regional Market Sarajevo/Tirana – “Region’s efforts regarding the Common Regional Market (CRM) reform agenda are widely recognized and supported, including at the recent G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting, where the leaders supported further progress on regional cooperation through the Common ...
04 May 2021 | News
Bregu: Cooperative policies won’t happen unless they have domestic support at home and we commit ourselves to meeting what was promised
Roaming free Western Balkans Six as of 1 July: Stay Charged, Roam Free! “1.4 million people in the Western Balkans are registered as unemployed. Out of that number, 760,000 are women, while 173,000 are young people. There are 1 million more men working in the Western Balkans than women. Are you still wondering why we need the Common Regional Market?
15 April 2021 | News
Bregu: Men outnumber women in the region’s labour force by more than a million
Sarajevo/New York – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched today the Regional Network of Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) as part of a RCC-UNDP joint initiative on Women Economic Empowerment (WEE), drawing on the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2021-2024.
14 April 2021 | News
Bregu, Grlic-Radman discuss South East Europe Strategy 2030 and Green Lanes between EU and WB
Sarajevo – The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, welcomed the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, Gordan Grlić-Radman, at the organisation’s headquarters in Sarajevo today.
08 April 2021 | News
Western Balkans endorses Tirana Declaration to Support Tourism in the Region
Sarajevo/Tirana – Ministers and representatives of the six Western Balkans (WB) governments endorsed the Tirana Declaration on supporting sustainable tourism recovery and growth in the region, at the high-level regional conference marking the finalisation of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s EU-funded Tourism Development and Promotion project, held in Tirana today.
17 March 2021 | News
Bregu: 69% of Western Balkans businesses believe quality of regional cooperation is important for quality of their business
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) hosted the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, in its Sarajevo headquarters today, where he met with the RCC delegation led by the organisation’s Secretary General, Majlinda Bregu, discussing the regional cooperation and the implementation of the Common Regional Market Action Plan in particular.
11 March 2021 | News
Bregu: 77% of Western Balkans citizens agree that the relations in the region are better than a year ago
Sarajevo/Tirana – “The months since our last meeting in October have been difficult with the onset of new Covid-19 waves and new variants of the virus turning things topsy-turvy with a downward spiralling. In terms of regional cooperation, the big good news was the success of the Sofia Summit of the Berlin Process and the endorsement of the Declaration on Green Agenda for the ...
02 March 2021 | News
Bregu: Futourismo is a new hope to help our region recover its tourism
Tirana/Sarajevo – Seven teams from the Western Balkans: • Guidi for app Veni, Vidi, Guidi • BIB for 'Be in Balkan' Mobile Application, • Digital Clinic for e-Health Tourism • TED for Safe Traveling Western Balkans • Sanatec7 for 'Virtual Culture' • ...
25 February 2021 | News
RCC, CEF reinforce cooperation to support region’s European Integration
Secretary General Bregu and Director Repansek sign Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations Ljubljana/Tirana/Sarajevo – Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu,and Director of the Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF), Jana Repanšek,signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual cooperation between the ...
18 December 2020 | News
Bregu: We must change in order to provide healthier environment, cleaner air, to preserve fresh and drinking water, to survive
Sarajevo/Tirana - "The overwhelming 74% of Western Balkans (WB) citizens see pollution as a problem, which is not surprising, considering that this region holds the most polluted cities in the world, because 70% of our electricity is produced by burning coal. Not only this, 16 thermal power plants in the WB produce more pollution than 250 plants in the EU. Air pollution is directly responsible ...
11 December 2020 | News
Bregu: Hire women, promote women and invest in women - that is our future
Sarajevo/Tirana/New York - "What we are launching today is a platform which will allow us all to strategise on how to best contribute to unlocking women power in the region. The reasons are obvious. Prior to pandemic, almost two-thirds of working-age women in the Western Balkans were either unemployed or outside the labour force. Unlocking the potential of half the population is not ...
07 December 2020 | News
‘Regional cooperation’ and ‘regional integration’ are the two sides of the same coin
Brussels/Sarajevo - "‘Regional cooperation’ and ‘regional integration’ are the two sides of the same coin. Integrating markets might be more of a process of EU integration. But regional cooperation is more than integrating markets. It is a political process. That is why the Common Regional Market Action Plan, signed by WB6 leaders in Sofia last month, is a good ...
10 November 2020 | News
Transformation will not happen overnight but setting bold goals will accelerate the change if we can work together
Sofia - A new phase of regional economic integration started today with the Western Balkans Six leaders endorsing the Common Regional Market Action Plan, and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, both facilitated by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), at the Berlin Process Summit held online in Sofia today.
09 November 2020 | News
Western Balkan governments will have to shoulder responsibility to implement Common Regional Market
Sofia - “Tomorrow the six Western Balkan leaders will endorse the new Action Plan for this region - Common Regional Market. Common Regional Market is not a novelty from the scratch: It is a great plan based on four freedoms, the same as EU Single Market, strengthened with investment, digital, industry and innovation. We are proud to have shouldered the heavy burden of this process together ...
02 November 2020 | News
While EU and the world are advancing to fit to the Digital Age, we need to run twice as fast to close the discrepancies
Tirana/Sarajevo – “At the last years' Digital Summit in Belgrade we witnessed a success story when the ministers of the Western Balkans (WB) six in charge of information and communication technologies signed the new Regional Roaming Agreement, paving a way for roaming free WB in 2021. I’m confident the region will deliver again having full support from European Commission ...
26 October 2020 | News
We now pay between 83% and 96% less roaming charges in the entire Western Balkans, and as of July 2021 roaming costs will be 0
Tirana/Sarajevo – The Third Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS) has been opened in Tirana today, continuing its legacy, which started at the WBDS Skopje in 2018 – the first ever WB DS that initiated digital policy dialogue on WB digital transformation at the highest prime ministers level, followed by the DS in Belgrade in 2019 with the signing of the Regional Roaming Agreement. ...
22 October 2020 | News
CRM is a stepping stone for the WB to align with EU single market rules
Belgrade/Sarajevo – “Some estimates say that regional economic integration in the Western Balkans could generate up to 2.5% of GDP growth should the level of integration reach the level of EFTA, and should it reach the EU level of integration, it could generate 6.7% of GDP growth. Therefore, I am pleased that by Sofia Summit on 10 November we will have a very good roadmap action ...
16 October 2020 | News
Bregu: The region needs common market to ensure free movement of business people, drivers and citizens in the Western Balkans
Sarajevo/Tirana/Skopje - “We are not a perfect region, but we want to make the best out of an imperfect picture. As a first step from today the Regional Cooperation Council is proud to facilitate an all-inclusive regional agreement on movement with ID cards. Our commercial and trade relations in the region cannot run anymore on business as usual basis. We have to have a common market, ...
15 October 2020 | News
Bregu: Common Regional Market is the way forward
Sarajevo, Tirana - “Multi Annual Action Plan for Regional Economic Area (MAP REA) is in its final stage of implementation. Now it’s clear that the region has benefited from this regional frame but is also ready for an upgrade. We have the Regional Roaming Agreement, Regional Investment Reform Agenda, Digital Summits as a success stories that remind us of the power of togetherness ...
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 ...
22 September 2020 | News
Bregu: With joint border crossing points Western Balkans could save 800 mil euro a year – we should set them among WB but also with EU
Sarajevo/Skopje/Belgrade – “If we would have more joint border crossing points and if those would be working 24/7, with all the regulation in place, phytosanitary proc