• Ελληνικά
  • English
  • Français

South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) & Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)

The promotion of regional cooperation is a fundamental component of Greek and EU policy in the Western Balkans. Regional cooperation functions as a vehicle for the integration of Southeast European countries into the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. It is considered as the most effective tool for socio-economic development, stability, security and good neighbourly relations within the region, while also functioning as an important factor for enhancing convergence with the EU and the EU acquis.

The South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) was founded in 1996 and is the region’s only “home-grown” cooperation platform, consisting exclusively of states in Southeast Europe and Kosovo (the members are, in addition to Greece, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye). Its aim is to enhance good neighbourly relations among its participants and to assist in their preparation for integration in European and Euroatlantic institutions, by fostering cooperation in the areas of rule of law, security and economy.

In 2008, the regional cooperation mechanism was upgraded with the establishment of a Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the Secretariat of which is based in Sarajevo and is the SEECP’s operational arm. The aim of this organ, which operates a Liaison Office in Brussels, is to promote specific regional cooperation initiatives through the implementation of regional programmes in six priority sectors (economic & social development, infrastructure, security, justice & home affairs, human resources development, and parliamentary cooperation).

The Chairmanship of the SEECP is held by every capital for a period of one year. Athens did so from July 2021 to June 2022, followed by Podgorica (July 2022-June 2023) and the current Chairmanship of Skopje (July 2023-June 2024).

In the context of the meetings of the SEECP-RCC, no national symbols or flags are used, while participants are referred to using their capital city name.