About RCC

General Information

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) was officially launched on 27 February 2008, as the successor of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

The RCC is intended to sustain focused regional cooperation in South East Europe through a regionally owned and led framework that also supports European and Euro-Atlantic integration. It is turned to developmental projects and creation of a political climate susceptible to implementing projects of a wider, regional character, to the benefit of each individual country.

The work of the RCC focuses on five priority areas: Economic and Social Development, Energy and Infrastructure, Justice and Home Affairs, Security Cooperation, Building Human Capital and Cross-Cutting Issues. The organization maintains close working relations with all actors of relevance in these areas, such as governments, international organizations, international financial institutions, regional organizations, civil society and the private sector.
The RCC functions as a focal point for regional cooperation in South East Europe. Supported by the Secretary General, its Secretariat based in Sarajevo and its Liaison Office in Brussels, the RCC provides the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) with operational capacities and acts as a forum for the continued involvement of those members of the international donor community engaged in the region.

The RCC also provides political guidance to and receives substantive input from relevant regional task forces and initiatives active in specific thematic areas of regional cooperation.

The Statute of the RCC forms the basis for its operations. According to it, the RCC Board provides operational guidance and supervision to the organization. It comprises of those RCC members contributing to the budget of the RCC Secretariat as well as the EU, represented by the Troika consisting of the EU Presidency, the European Commission and the European Council Secretariat.

The annual budget of the RCC Secretariat is set at 3 million euro, 1/3 being the contribution by the region, 1/3 by the European Commission and the remaining 1/3 by other RCC members and international partners.

The RCC Secretariat is based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It employs 32 officials, 25 in the Sarajevo headquarters and seven in the Brussels Liaison Office.

The first Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council is Mr. Hido BIŠČEVIĆ.

Link: www.rcc.int