Monika Petrova

Senior Political Adviser at the RCC, CRM enthusiast, Human Capital Development in the heart, WB policy specialist;
rt is not endorsement; opinion is personal

[RCC @rccint]

RCC hosted @GreeceMFA Minister George Gerapetritis today in #Sarajevo, where he was welcomed by RCC Secretary General @amer_kap

The meeting focused on regional cooperation in #SouthEastEurope, European integration of the #WesternBalkans, role of the #SEECP, and more ⏭️ “Through SEECP, SEE2030 Strategy and the RCC’s regional programmes, we are building a more connected, resilient and competitive region, firmly anchored in our shared European future,” said RCC SG.

Continued political and institutional support of Greece, as a founding participant of the SEECP and an RCC Board participant remains essential for organisation’s ability to respond to regional challenges and deliver tangible benefits to citizens and businesses.

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/CHSbeke2Dy

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

This week, #Sofia was the place to be for all things #RegionalCooperation, as leaders, ministers, regional partners and government representatives from #SouthEastEurope gathered for the RCC’s 18th Annual Meeting, followed by the #SEECP Leaders Summit and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting.

We looked back at 30 years of SEECP to mark three decades of regional cooperation and everything it has achieved, while also taking the opportunity to look ahead at what it can become.

It was a privilege to hear RCC participants and partners acknowledge our work and dedication, commend the contribution to strengthening cooperation, coordination and delivery in the region, and support RCC’s continued work in turning political priorities into practical results.

Good. Better. Regional.

#PoweredByRCC 🇪🇺

[MFA Bulgaria @MFABulgaria]

Regional belonging&good-neighbourly relations remain the foundation on which the #SEECP builds its resilience&capacity to address challenges in an increasingly dynamic international environment.
@vpetrova_mfa

[RCC @rccint]

Leaders of the South-East European Cooperation Process Participants, adopted the SEECP Sofia Summit Declaration in #Sofia today, marking 30 years of regional ownership and reaffirming the continued importance of cooperation, stability, security and sustainability across #SouthEastEurope.

Speaking at the Summit, RCC Secretary General @amer_kap said that SEE has a functioning regional cooperation mechanism, concrete deliverables, clear public support and steady backing from governments, but that the scale and speed of global change require a stronger strategic response, adding “Thirty years ago, SEECP helped restore the habit of dialogue. Today, it must help build the habit of strategic delivery. Regional cooperation is not a slogan. It is a necessity,”

The SEECP leaders endorsed the RCC Annual Report, commended RCC’s contribution to strengthening cooperation, coordination and delivery in the region, and expressed support for RCC’s continued work in turning political priorities into practical results.

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/4XVMOoAdMT

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the South-East European Cooperation Process, at the meeting held under the Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office today in #Sofia endorsed the SEECP Summit Declaration, welcomed the RCC Annual Report and expressed support for RCC’s continued role in translating regional political ownership into coordination, continuity and delivery.

Addressing the meeting, RCC Secretary General @amer_kap said that 30 years of SEECP should be seen not only as an anniversary, but as a moment to adjust regional cooperation to a new strategic reality, adding: “Thirty years later, regional ownership has produced the Regional Cooperation Council as its most distinctive institutional product, with tangible results from SEE2030 and free roaming to green alignment and security cooperation. The task before us now is to make that ownership even more strategic, more focused and more useful to our citizens and markets,”

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/0on2hTGlJE

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

Today in #Sofia for the 18th RCC Annual Meeting, co-chaired with the Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office of the SEECP 👉🏻 where participants endorsed the RCC Annual Report, approved the SEE2030 Strategy Mid-Term Update and Mid-Term Implementation Report, and took note of our work and practical results for citizens and businesses across #SouthEastEurope.

Opening the meeting, RCC Secretary General @amer_kap said the past year confirmed the importance of regional cooperation as a strategic tool for addressing shared challenges and positioning the region in a rapidly changing global context, adding “Our focus now must be on implementation, results and investment; on regional initiatives that make cooperation visible and useful to citizens, businesses and institutions.”

It was a pleasure to hear RCC participants and partners acknowledge RCC’s work and dedication, including @MFABulgaria Minister, @vpetrova_mfa, who underlined that “RCC has consistently provided a regional backbone for cooperation, serving as a highly effective platform for dialogue and joint action” and @eu_enlargement_ Commissioner @MartaKosEU who said “Window of enlargement is open to those who deliver reforms, and the Common Regional Market is an important part of that process, helping the region prepare for deeper integration into the EU Single Market while improving people’s lives.

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/81iRMNir1W

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[MFA Bulgaria @MFABulgaria]

🇧🇬 FM @vpetrova_mfa opened the RCC Annual Mtg in Sofia under 🇧🇬 SEECP Chairmanship-in-Office. She highlighted regional coop., dialogue& connect. as key to stability&sustainable develop. in SEE. @rccint

[RCC @rccint]

Tomorrow in #Sofia for the 18th RCC Annual Meeting taking place ahead of the SEECP Summit and Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs 👉🏻 bringing regional cooperation and shared priorities into focus, reflecting on progress, and advancing cooperation across #SouthEastEurope.

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

RCC hosted @francediplo Minister Delegate for Europe @benjaminhaddad today in #Sarajevo ⏭️ for a meeting with RCC Secretary General @amer_kap and Fireside Talk with youth from #WesternBalkansSix

Minister Delegate Haddad, RCC SG Kapetanović and #WB6 youth talked on EU, regional cooperation, youth participation, and the future of the region ⏭️ at Fireside talk organised by EU-funded and RCC-implemented #WBYL2 project.

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/PleTpwXUt4

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[Aner Zukovic @AnerZukovic]

The challenge is shared, and so must be the response.

[UNDP SEESAC @UNDP_SEESAC]

"Security cooperation must remain practical, professional and result-oriented. We need stronger use of existing mechanisms, better connection between training and daily work, and faster exchange between institutions facing the same threats." – Mr Aner Zuković, RCC

[RCC @rccint]

RCC Head of Programme Department Danijela Gacevic today at the @EU_EESC's EU–Western Balkans Civil Society High‑Level Conference in #Vienna on Enlargement and European Security: Public Expectations, Political Readiness and Civil Society’s Role ⏭️ European security has to reflect citizens’ expectations for stability, trust, resilience, and accountability. Civil society has a crucial role in bridging public concerns and political readiness, ensuring that security policies are not only effective, but also inclusive and anchored in the needs of people.

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

RCC welcomed Ambassadors and Embassy representatives to a briefing meeting on #SEE2030 Strategy Mid-Term Update hosted by RCC Deputy Secretary General @UmutErgezer, Head of Political department @JankovicPavle and Coordinator of the SEE 2030 Strategy @ShenoIseni in #Sarajevo today ⏭️ “The SEE2030 Strategy update is not about changing our ambition, but about making it more actionable. By sharpening the focus on resilience, inclusive growth and regional cooperation, and by placing public–private partnerships and competitiveness at the centre of implementation, we are strengthening a region-led framework that can deliver practical, feasible and tangible results for South East Europe,” said RCC Deputy Secretary General

#poweredbyRCC

[RCC @rccint]

RCC together with @ELIAMEPgr co-hosted side event at @GLOBSEC today in #Prague ⏭️ bringing together policymakers and experts to discuss how #RegionalCooperation and EU enlargement can jointly strengthen security, support economic convergence, and contribute to a more resilient #SouthEastEurope and Europe

In addition to RCC Head of the Political Department @JankovicPavle, the panel brought together:
- @VladoBilcik, Senior Fellow at GLOBSEC;
- Christian Schmidt, @OHR_BiH High Representative;
- Dr Predrag Zenović, Chief Negotiator of Montenegro;
- @profbagci, Professor at @METU_ODTU’s;
- Dr. Ana Krstinovska, Research Fellow at ELIAMEP,
- and Frauke Seebass, Visiting Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs

They discussed how #RegionalCooperation can make #EU integration more concrete & visible, and highlighted the importance of linking reforms with:
💼 economic opportunities,
🏛️ institutional trust
🛡️ and human security,
🇪🇺 so that enlargement is understood not only as a geopolitical process, but as a way to improve people’s daily lives.

Regional cooperation remains essential to ensuring that future EU accession strengthens the region’s resilience and connectivity.

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/K8lWNS5Hwq

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺
#GLOBSEC2026

[RCC @rccint]

Tomorrow at #GLOBSEC2026, RCC and @eliamepgr to co-host the side session “From Policy to People: Security and Opportunity through Regional Cooperation and EU Enlargement” with RCC Head of Political Department @JankovicPavle, @OHR_BiH High Representative Christian Schmidt, @eliamepgr's Ana Krstinovska, Chief Negotiator of Montenegro Predrag Zenović, @GLOBSEC’s @VladoBilcik, @METU_ODTU’s @profbagci and German Institute for International and Security Affairs’s Frauke Seebass ⏭️ to explore how regional cooperation and EU enlargement can strengthen security, resilience, and opportunity for citizens in #SouthEastEurope.

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

We’re looking for the women who turned ideas into action, and challenges into business plans.

Nominations are open for this year’s WB6 Women Entrepreneurs of the Year.

Know a woman entrepreneur from the #WesternBalkansSix who deserves the spotlight?
Nominate her now 👉🏻 https://t.co/fhu8FKh6LE

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

59th RCC Board meeting held today in #Sarajevo

✅ reviewed and adopted the RCC Annual Report
✅ talked on progress under Common Regional Market, Green Agenda and security cooperation
✅ discussion on SEE2030, following recent endorsement of its 3 core deliverables, and more

“Regional cooperation is strongest when it delivers visible, practical results. Over the past year, RCC has worked to turn political commitments into operational tools, measurable progress and concrete regional outcomes. Our task now is to keep this agenda moving with discipline, transparency and shared ownership, because the credibility of regional cooperation depends on implementation,” said RCC Secretary General @amer_kap.

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/bHHutXbzII

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

Productive meeting between RCC Deputy Secretary General @UmutErgezer and @EU_EESC’s @TzonkaI in #Brussels ⏭️ discussions focused on future activities under the updated #SEE2030 Strategy, advancing the #UN2030Agenda across #SouthEastEurope, and potential for cooperation.
Disaster risk insurance, risk sharing, and brain drain remain some of the areas where regional cooperation can make a difference for citizens and businesses of the region.

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

The 7th meeting of #SEE2030 Strategy Monitoring Committee co-organised with the Sofia SEECP Chairmanship-in-Office took place in #Sofia ⏭️ bringing together delegations from across #SouthEastEurope.
Following the welcoming remarks by RCC Deputy Secretary General @UmutErgezer and @MFABulgaria's Ivaylo Iordanov, Head of the Regional Cooperation Department, the Committee reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the Strategy, with a strong focus on translating #RegionalCooperation into concrete, and investment-ready results.

Read more 👉🏻 https://t.co/vBxzbLTtO2

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺

[RCC @rccint]

This is your opportunity to nominate your favourite woman entrepreneur for the Western Balkans Six Women Entrepreneurs of the year!

We’re looking for successful women entrepreneurs from #WB6 in these categories:
🌱 Green Woman Entrepreneur
👩🏻‍🎨 Artistic Woman Entrepreneur
👩🏼‍💻 ICT Woman Entrepreneur
🧳 Tourism Woman Entrepreneur
🙋🏻‍♀️ Young Woman Entrepreneur
🤳 Social Star Woman Entrepreneur

For all information 👉🏻 https://t.co/fhu8FKh6LE

#poweredbyRCC 🇪🇺