The discussion Five years of Regional Cooperation Council: Building on foundations and embracing new challenges focused on achievements and future challenges of regional cooperation in South East Europe.

The annual award of the RCC Secretariat for best achievement in cooperation in South East Europe, Champion of Regional Cooperation, were inaugurated and presented by the RCC Secretary General, Goran Svilanovic. The first laureate is the Central European Free Trade Agreement – CEFTA 2006. The CEFTA Secretariat, lead by Director Renata Vitez, has been a key player in the successful implementation of this highly ambitious and important agreement. It has ensured that the agenda of regional trade remains fresh, preparing for new trade topics, soliciting up-to date analysis and supporting successful negotiations of new chapters of trade liberalization, such as trade in agricultural products.

CEFTA is currently being chaired by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A special acknowledgement for the promotion of cooperation in South East Europe, and for years of work dedicated to the region, will be awarded to Hido Biscevic, first Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, and to Erhard Busek, former Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

The panellists and special guests included: Goran Svilanović, RCC Secretary General; Zlatko Lagumdžija, Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers/Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ivan Naydenov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria; Vlado Misajlovski, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in 2012-2013; Radu Podgorean, State Secretary of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, Romania, incoming Chair-in-Office of the SEECP; Vera Mavrić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, preceding Chair-in-Office of the SEECP; Kieran Dowling, Ambassador of Ireland to Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and Stefano Sannino, Director General for Enlargement of the European Commission.

The Regional Cooperation Council was established in Sofia on 27 February 2008. It promotes mutual cooperation and European and Euro-Atlantic integration of South East Europe in order to inspire development in the region to the benefit of its people.

Journalists were invited to the event on Wednesday, 27 February 2013, as of 6 p.m., at the Sarajevo hotel, Dzemala Bijedica 169 A, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Programme of the event.

Contact:
Dinka Zivalj - Spokesperson Regional Cooperation Council
Trg Bosne i Hercegovine 1/V
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
E-mail: press@rcc.int