Bregu: Our mission over the last six years, not only to adapt to change, but also to lead it

2024-06-12 21:50:00, Aktualitet CNA

Bregu: Our mission over the last six years, not only to adapt to change, but

General Secretary of RCC, Majlinda Bregu

The participants of the RCC Annual Meeting approve the appointment of the next General Secretary of the RCC for the term 2025-2027

The participants of the 16th Annual Meeting of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), held today in Skopje, approved the 2023-2024 RCC Annual Report. In the meeting co-chaired by the General Secretary of the RCC, Majlinda Bregu and Bujar Osmani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, on behalf of the chairman of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), the developments in the cooperation were discussed regional in Southeast Europe (SEE) within the framework of the RCC, as well as the future challenges of the organization.

"When I took on the role of General Secretary of the RCC in January 2019, I prepared myself for a challenging but inspiring professional journey. However, I did not foresee the unprecedented challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic would bring. This crisis that defined our era, reshaping global health, security and economies, seeking innovative responses beyond our usual remit. These challenges have shown that even in the most difficult times, cooperation and sustainability are possible. From the beginning, we have been guided by the principle that cooperation, in a rapidly changing world, is our strongest asset and this principle remains vital. as much as before, now almost six years of my mandate", said the General Secretary of the KBR, M Majlinda Bregu.

"Our mission over the past six years has been clear: not only to adapt to the change, but to lead it. Together, we took advantage of the opportunities and fulfilled the expectations of citizens by achieving: region without roaming; reduction of roaming prices between our region and the EU; the opening of green lanes during the pandemic for food and medicine and their expansion for all goods and services; the preparation and adoption of the Common Regional Market Action Plan, including 4 agreements for mobility, but also the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and the first common strategic framework at the SEECP level, such as the SEE 2030 Strategy. To foster entrepreneurship among young people, we launched the Balkathon digital competition, the Regional Innovation Award and led the implementation of "Youth Lab project. This is just to mention the biggest milestones of RCC and regional cooperation where the results are many", added Bregu.

"However, we must accept the challenges that await us. Our future strategy must include other comprehensive measures to improve local and regional economic conditions, improve infrastructure and find other instruments to provide new opportunities for stability and revitalization of our economies," General Secretary Bregu concluded.

The annual meeting was co-organized by the RCC Secretariat and the North Macedonia SEECP Presidency. It is held together with the SEECP Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the SEECP Summit.

During the presentation of the activities of the North Macedonian Presidency of the SEECP and the announcement of the upcoming high-level events of the SEECP, Minister Osmani congratulated the RCC for the excellent results achieved so far and thanked Secretary General Bregu for the role extraordinary who has played at the head of the organization for almost 6 years. "Regional cooperation is and will remain at the top of our priorities. We are constantly investing in building good neighborly relations that lead to EU integration and the RCC enriches these efforts", added Osmani.

The European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, thanked the RCC and the Secretary General for the results in the implementation of the Common Regional Market Action Plan, which is the heart of the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. He emphasized that the RCC has been important in this process, adding that the European Commission will provide full support in regional economic integration, reiterating the satisfaction of the continuous cooperation with the RCC.

The participants of the Annual Meeting of the RCC heard the presentation of the implementation of the SEE2030 Strategy and approved the appointment of Amer Kapetanovic as the next General Secretary of the RCC for the term 2025-2027. At the meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SEECP, which will be held tomorrow in Skopje, it is expected that the new General Secretary of the RCC for the period 2025-2027 will be appointed.

The participants thanked RCC General Secretary Majlinda Bregu for her valuable contribution to the service of regional cooperation in South-Eastern Europe during almost six years of her mandate as RCC General Secretary.

The Secretary General of the RCC, Bregu, also thanked the Chairman of the SEECP in North Macedonia and all the participants of the RCC for their support and contribution to the growth of regional cooperation in SEE through the RCC for almost six years last./ CNA