Danijela Gačević, Head of the Programme Department of the Regional Cooperation Council, spoke at the Belgrade Economic Forum about the importance of regional cooperation and how decisive its role is for the economic growth and development of the Western Balkans.
We asked her about the concrete results and initiatives implemented by the Regional Cooperation Council, as well as how these activities contribute to economic development and to reducing development disparities between the region and the European Union.
In her response, Gačević stressed that regional integration is recognised and considered one of the key instruments for the economic development and growth of the region. This is precisely the role of the Council: to help governments implement measures that can contribute to economic growth and development, as well as to reducing the convergence gap that exists between the level of development of the region and that of the European Union.
“In that sense, this year has been very successful for the Regional Cooperation Council, which was in a way also confirmed at the leaders’ summit in London, held in October this year, where we, it could be said, achieved around 15 concrete results and additional initiatives that are mainly focused on sustainable economic development. This is extremely important. We have various initiatives, ranging from standards for green bonds, investments and public procurement to tourism, all of which aim to support development that takes sustainability criteria into account, as well as development that addresses the climate challenges we are facing,” Gačević told EUpravo Zato.
In addition, part of the activities also relates to the Green Agenda, and in this regard the Council held a very successful conference in Dubrovnik, also in October, at which governments and economists from the region adopted important documents, including the revised Action Plan for the implementation of the Green Agenda in the region.
“We are continuing in the same direction. Over the coming year, we will further elaborate these activities, building on the initiatives we have already launched, with the aim that by 2028, which is the timeframe for the implementation of this action plan, we achieve everything our leaders have asked of us. The most important message I would like to convey is that regional cooperation provides a platform for integrated work and has potential that has not yet been fully utilised, but which we can develop and realise together,” concluded the Head of the Programme Department of the Regional Cooperation Council.
The role of the Regional Cooperation Council
The Regional Cooperation Council is one of the institutions responsible for implementing the Action Plan for establishing the Common Regional Market. Its primary role is to help governments implement measures that can contribute to economic growth and development, as well as to reducing the convergence gap that we all know exists between the level of development of the region and that of the European Union.
