The new task force is in charge of a high-level, regional co-ordination process on Education and Research and the co-ordination of activities in the priority area “Fostering and Building Human Capital” of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). The RCC, which is based in Sarajevo, was inaugurated in February 2008 in Sofia as the successor structure of the Stability Pact and acts within the political framework of the South Eastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

A New Phase in SEE Education Co-operation
As described in the previous article by Srdjan Cvijic´ , this development marks a further step in a new phase of regional education co-operation in SEE, initialled in May 2007 by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the SEE Ministers responsible for education, science and research.
This Memorandum enhances the existing political framework in education co-operation and widens it to the area of research. The changing landscape of regional co-operation in SEE, marked by a shift from assistance to partnership and stronger regional ownership, was also reflected by the transfer of the long-standing Chairmanship of the TFEY of Austria to Romania as a SEECP member state in August 2007. Austria continues to be involved in the further developments as a co-chair.
During its phase-out in the past few months, the TFEY was busy to secure a smooth transition of the existing co-operation networks to the new structures and to anchor these collaborations on the interplay between the so far to a large degree independently acting sectors. After a consultation process with partner ministries in SEE and the RCC on the profile and structure of the new task force which was coordinated by the chair- and co-chairmanship of the TFEY, the process of finalising the establishment of the Task Force Building Human Capital will be completed at the first RCC Board Meeting in May 2008 in Bulgaria. The new Task Force will then become operative and commence with the planning and implementation of events and activities in close collaboration with the Senior Expert for Fostering and Building Human Capital of the RCC.

Authors:
Jürgen Schick & Mihaylo Milovanovitch
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Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture, Austria
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