Management of South East Europe Investment Committee transferred from OECD to RCC

The management of the South East Europe Investment Committee (SEEIC) has been transferred to the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) at a ministerial conference held in Paris, France, on 24 November 2011.

A Memorandum of Understanding on the transfer from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was signed by OECD and RCC Secretaries General, Angel Gurria and Hido Biscevic, respectively.

South East European (SEE) ministers and other high-level officials welcomed transfer of the SEEIC’s management to the RCC as a sign of progress and enhanced regional ownership.

“The transfer of management of the SEEIC from the OECD to the RCC acknowledges the new political and economic realities of the region and the need for increased regional ownership”, said Biscevic.

“At the same time, the conference confirmed that the growth model based on deeper integration with the EU remains the best one for South East Europe over the long term. The EU accession process will continue to provide a legal and institutional anchor and a strong driver for systemic reforms.”

“The OECD Investment Compact will continue to support the SEEIC with rigorous economic analysis and assistance with implementation of policy reforms,” said Alan Paic, Head of the OECD Investment Compact for South East Europe. “We look forward to a continued cooperation with the RCC Secretariat to make the SEE 2020 vision a reality.”

The event titled Building a 2020 Vision for South East Europe was co-organised by the OECD and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, with RCC Secretariat’s support.

Conference participants underlined the impact of the global economic crisis on South East Europe and the inherent economic vulnerabilities it has revealed, especially with regard to regional competitiveness and future growth prospects. They emphasised the value of continued private-public sector dialogue and cooperation towards growth and development.

At the close of the meeting, SEE ministers endorsed the “2020 Vision for South East Europe”, which calls for a consistent implementation of economic reforms to foster integrated, smart, sustainable and inclusive growth underpinned by good governance and the rule of law.

EUR 1.5 million project on Western Balkans’ research and development strategy launched in Belgrade

A two-year project to develop a strategy for regional dimension of Research and Innovation cooperation in the Western Balkans was launched in Belgrade, Serbia, on 24 November 2011.

The aim of the Regional Strategy for Research and Innovation for the Western Balkan Project is development of a strategy that will foster cooperation at regional level by interconnecting research institutes, pooling resources, training scientists and transferring knowledge across the region to increase its competitiveness.

The RCC has facilitated and supported its development in close cooperation with national authorities from the Western Balkans and international partners. The Project worth EUR 1.5 million will be funded from the Multi-beneficiary Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (MB IPA) programme.

Zarko Obradovic, Minister of Education and Science of Serbia, emphasized the importance of cooperation among the Western Balkans countries in the science and research areas.

“The Research and Development Strategy for Innovation in the Western Balkans is effective mechanism for active participation of the countries from the region in the European Research Area.”

Mladen Dragasevic, Head of Building Human Capital and Parliamentary Cooperation Unit at RCC Secretariat, expressed great satisfaction with the start-up of the process of development of this important Strategy.

“Launching of this key strategic project of the Regional Cooperation Council in building human capital area is the result of preparatory work of the experts from the region, the European Commission, the RCC and the World Bank.”

“It is time for research, development and innovation to contribute to economic development of the Western Balkans in more effective ways, and the launch of this Strategy is the right step in that direction” said Paulo Guilherme Correa, Lead Economist for the European and Central Asia Region of the World Bank.

The European Commission, represented by the Directorate General for Enlargement, and Directorate General for Research and Innovation, welcomed this initiative which is fully in line with the Europe 2020 strategy that calls upon increased research and innovation efforts at all levels and by all stakeholders.

The event was organized by the World Bank, in cooperation with the European Commission and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat. It was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia. It gathered decision-makers from relevant ministries of science, technology, and education, representatives of public and private sector agencies dealing with R&D and innovation policy, as well as representatives of research and higher education institutes from the Western Balkans.

Regional needs in justice, home affairs and security cooperation in South East Europe assessed at Belgrade conference

A two-day conference to evaluate regional needs in justice, home affairs and security cooperation was held in Belgrade, Serbia on 1-2 December 2011. It established mechanisms to foster South East European cooperation on criminal investigations and protection of fundamental rights. 

The event was organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat.

The 4th Annual Coordination Conference of Regional Organizations and International Partners in the Area of Justice, Home Affairs and Security Cooperation discussed key trends and challenges to regional cooperation in organized crime, corruption and terrorism.

In her opening remarks, Deputy RCC Secretary General Jelica Minic said that the region’s strategic goal is to strengthen judicial and prosecutorial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, consolidate existing regional cooperation mechanisms, and enhance mutual legal assistance.

“In this time of crisis, efforts to improve institutions and economy have been endangered by corruption, organized crime and erosion of governance. The fact that there is a strong regional dimension to bringing sustained improvements to the rule of law, combating criminality and corruption, creates the premise to overcome the difficulties. The RCC is committed to lending its support to the process, in line with its mandate.”

A working group to monitor closer cooperation of police operations, as well as police and prosecution services in criminal investigations; and a working group to exchange information and share best practices in protection of fundamental rights in justice, home affairs and security fields were established at the meeting.

A meeting of the Steering Group on Regional Strategy (SGRS) on Justice and Home Affairs, held ahead of the conference, discussed implementation of the Strategy and approved its Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism that was prepared by the RCC Secretariat. The SGRS meeting is a follow-up to a ministerial conference, held in March 2011 in Budva, Montenegro, which endorsed the SEE Regional Strategic Document and Action Plan on Justice and Home Affairs 2011-2013.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism is designed to measure progress, impact and results of regional cooperation in justice and home affairs, and it will be functional as of spring 2012. 

Conference of regional civil society organisations to enhance their participation in EU accession process

A two-day conference on civil society organisation (CSO) networks in the Western Balkan countries and Turkey was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 13-14 December 2011.

The conference titled Regional Civil Society Organisations’ (CSOs) Networks in the IPA Countries was organised by the EU-funded TACSO project and the RCC Secretariat.

The aim of the conference was to enhance CSO participation in the EU accession process and boost their greater involvement in the implementation of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) strategy.

The conference brought together representatives of regional civil society networks from the Western Balkans and Turkey and EU and governmental institutions responsible for cooperation with the civil society sector, as well as representatives from EU’s Directorate General (DG) for Enlargement and EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We believe that the framework of the RCC Strategy and Work Programme 2011-2013 provides a comprehensive platform for regional CSO networks and other relevant stakeholders to identify related actions to be undertaken regionally as well as in the individual countries”, stated Jelica Minic, Deputy RCC Secretary General in her opening remarks.

“This regional conference is a unique initiative in the wider mobilisation of civil society organisations in the region. It is for the first time bringing together representatives from vital regional civil society organisation networks in the Western Balkans and Turkey as well as their constituencies and other stakeholders in order to initiate a dialogue on what they can actually supply in the EU accession context”, said Palle Westergaard, Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations (TACSO) Team Leader.

The conference participants discussed development modes of the CSO networks and legal challenges in their formalization, assessed the role of various players (CSOs, governmental, private sector, media, experts, etc.) as well as different levels of intervention starting from local to national, regional and the European. They also stressed the importance of ensuring environment for CSOs development including further mapping, development of indicators and data bases, greater transparency in CSOs work and donors’ assistance, mobilizing new local donors and improvement of legal framework.

The representatives of the DG Enlargement and the EU Delegation welcomed the initiative that supports regional cooperation and civil society organizations, in line with the European efforts to strengthen civic dialogue in the enlargement countries.

The RCC Secretariat reiterated its commitment to strengthen cooperation with the CSO networks in the region involving them into its activities in the framework of the RCC Strategy and Work programme 2011-2013, assessing this as a possibility to increase synergy of different regional inter-governmental and non-governmental initiatives and networks in addressing regional issues and facilitating European integration process in the Western Balkans.

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