Regional Cooperation Council
| Regional Cooperation Council RCC |
|
|---|---|
 Organization logo |
|
 Participating states |
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| English name | Regional Cooperation Council |
| Organization type | International organization |
| status | active |
| Seat of the organs |
Sarajevo , Bosnia and Herzegovina
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| Secretary General |
 Goran Svilanović
|
| Member States | 13 : |
| Official and working languages | |
| founding |
February 27, 2008 |
| www.rcc.int | |
The South-East European Cooperation Process ( English South-East European Cooperation Process , SEECP ) in 1996 at the initiative of Bulgaria as a regional initiative for the political coordination of cooperation in South-Eastern Europe established. Organ of the SEECP is Regional Cooperation (Engl. Regional Cooperation Council , RCC ), which was launched on 27 February 2008. The purpose of the Council is to promote cooperation between countries and to serve as the region's unified mouthpiece to the world. The cooperation also serves to maintain lasting peace and stability in the Balkans . The cooperation is intended to strengthen pro-European forces in the region and ensure that the states draw closer to the European Union . The RCC and CEFTA , along with individual stabilization and association agreements , are ultimately seen as a preliminary stage to possible EU accession. A total of 46 countries, international organizations and banks take part in the Council. The headquarters of the RCC are in Sarajevo .
Structure and goals
With the transformation of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe into a Regional Cooperation Council in 2008, the international organization received a fixed budget and a secretariat for the first time, based in Sarajevo. The RCC has around three million euros at its disposal each year, 40% of which is financed by the Southeast European member states, 30% by the European Commission and 30% by the other members.
The main priorities of the RCC are to improve relations with the neighbors in the region and to help the countries of south-eastern Europe achieve all EU accession criteria more quickly . In particular, the concerns of Southeast Europe should be better heard in the EU.
Members and participating states or organizations
Members of the SEECP are 13 Southeastern European countries: the seven members of CEFTA , five EU members and Turkey:
| Country | EU member | EU candidate country | CEFTA member |
|---|---|---|---|
 Albania
|
since 2014 | since 2007 | |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
since 2007 | ||
 Bulgaria
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since 2007 | 1999-2007 | 1999-2007 |
 Greece
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since 1981 | 1976-1981 | |
 Kosovo
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since 2007 | ||
 Croatia
|
since 2013 | 2004-2013 | 2002-2013 |
 North Macedonia
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since 2005 | since 2006 | |
 Moldova
|
since 2007 | ||
 Montenegro
|
since 2010 | since 2007 | |
 Romania
|
since 2007 | 1999-2007 | 1997-2007 |
|
Serbia
|
since 2012 | since 2007 | |
 Slovenia
|
since 2004 | 1998-2004 | 1996-2004 |
 Turkey
|
since 1999 |
The 13 members of the SEECP, the SEECP itself, and 32 other countries and organizations take part in the RCC: Austria , Canada , the Council of Europe , the Council of Europe's Development Bank , the Czech Republic , Denmark , the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development , the European Investment Bank , the European Union , Germany , Finland , Hungary , the International Organization for Migration , Ireland , Italy , Latvia , NATO , Norway , the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , Poland , Slovakia , Spain , Sweden , the Switzerland , the United Kingdom , the United Nations , the economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations, the development program of the United Nations , the United States and the world Bank .
Web links
- Official website of the Regional Cooperation Council (English)
- Annual Report 2012/2013 (English)
- Strategy and work program 2014–2016 (English)
- Wieland Schneider: Copy of the Middle East in Europe - Die Presse from February 1, 2008.