PODGORICA – Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Majlinda Bregu visited Montenegro last week, completing the Western Balkans part of the tour of consultations through the South East Europe that also included Sarajevo, Pristina, Skopje, Tirana and Belgrade.
The first day of Bregu’s visit, 21 February, was marked by a meeting with President Milo Đukanović. They discussed the current status of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans (WB), focusing on outstanding commitments of the participating economies in connectivity, digitalisation, investments and trade, as per Multi-annual Action Plan on Regional Economic Area (MAP REA), agreed by the region’s leader in Trieste in 2017, as well as the overall needs for reforms and progress of the region in economic and societal terms.
„Western Balkans is on the move. We hear the language of unity among the citizens, strongly voicing the need for advancement and economic development. By enhancing individual, national reforms and strengthening regional cooperation this goal is feasible. This is the recipe of the better region, a better place for our citizens“, said Secretary General Bregu.
President Đukanović confirmed his devotion to the European integration process and determination to undertake actions leading in that direction. He reiterated his support to the regional cooperation concept and the RCC’s activities in particular, emphasising that the future of the region should be in our own hands.
On the second day of her visit, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu met with the Speaker of the Parliament, Ivan Brajović, Prime Minister, Duško Marković, Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović, and Minister of Economy, Dragica Sekulić.
The meetings tackled importance of regional cooperation on the EU agenda of the individual Western Balkan (WB) economies and the region as a whole as well as pending reforms leading towards economic and social development of the WB societies.
„We all share great expectations when it comes to the Poznan Summit deliverables. Therefore, we will keep pushing the region for concrete deliverables on the new roaming agreement and recognition of professional qualifications, but also on trade and investment agendas. EU integration as the South East Europe’s common objective should drive strengthening of regional cooperation and our joint actions,” said Bregu.