Regional Cooperation Council

Expert Pool

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is a programme-oriented organization, and experts represent its core element. The expert pool designs and implements RCC programmes and projects in five priority areas:

Economic and social development
Infrastructure and energy
Justice and home affairs
Security cooperation
Building human capital and parliamentary cooperation

Each priority area is structured as a Unit, headed by a Senior Expert. Jelica Minić is Head of the RCC Expert Pool. She also acts as Deputy RCC Secretary General.

The Head of Expert Pool/Deputy Secretary General coordinates activities of the RCC experts and shares some duties with the Secretary General regarding participation at meetings and conferences on behalf of the Secretary General, chairing the meetings organized by the RCC Secretariat, and communicating with partners and donors.

Together with RCC experts, the Head of Expert Pool develops procedures and techniques for structuring activities in RCC priority areas and standardizing the Expert Pool output.

The Expert Pool prepares a portfolio of RCC Secretariat’s project ideas for the EU’s Multi-Beneficiary Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (MB IPA) and other donors, and develops project proposals with partner organizations. The experts represent the RCC Secretariat at the MB IPA regional coordination meetings, working groups (on energy, infrastructure, environment, and social infrastructure) or plenary meetings of the International Financial Institutions Advisory Group (IFI AG), as well as at different international fora, informing of RCC Secretariat’s activities, initiatives and projects.

The RCC Expert Pool provides inputs to the process of networking among RCC members from South East Europe (SEE) and the RCC Secretariat with participation of the European Commission and relevant IFIs. In this framework, the Expert Pool prepared a detailed concept paper and overview of regional priorities, based on the input received from the RCC members from SEE. The mapping of national priorities regarding regional cooperation in SEE served as a basis for developing several regional projects and initiatives supported by RCC members.

The Expert Pool keeps regular contact with representatives of different national, regional and international organizations, foundations and networks interested to develop or strengthen cooperation with the RCC. Special attention is given to regional initiatives and taskforces, which have been mapped, while their activities are being coordinated and streamlined by the RCC Secretariat and its Expert Pool.

The RCC experts actively implement the RCC Secretariat’s communication strategy. They deliver lectures on regional cooperation and RCC at different courses of postgraduate studies, as well as briefings for journalists from the region, young politicians, and other interested groups.

Together with the RCC Front Office, the Expert Pool conducts RCC outreach activities across the RCC area, to government officials, international organizations, business community, civil society, media and other stakeholders.