Second meeting of SEECP political directors in Podgorica

Unity of the European Union and the Western Balkans, as well as a more intensive cooperation between South-East European Cooperation Process participants is of exceptional importance for achieving the common European future – as was assesed at the second meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) political directors, which was held today in Podgorica, within Montenegro's one-year chairmanship of the Process, as one of the most important regional initiatives.

National coordinators and representatives of 13 members of SEECP, the EU, as well as the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Majlinda Bregu participated at the meeting which was opened by the Acting Director General for Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radovan Bogojević.

During the discussion, participants commended Podgorica's chairmanship motto of which is „South-East Europe of Culture, a South-East Europe of Cooperation“. The calender of activities was also praised, and the support for the organization of all planned events in 2023 was expressed, focusing on human rights, improving security through the rule of law, the fight against organized crime and corruption, energetic and cyber security, as well as the green agenda and the digital society.

It was mutually assesed that the region received positive news during this year with the initiation of accession negotiations with Skopje and Tirana and granting Sarajevo the candidate for the EU membership status, as well as visa liberalisation for Pristina and their application to join the EU. It was agreed that these events present important steps in achieving the common goal – completing the united Europe project.

Participants stressed that the recent EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana, which was organized in our region for the first time, is another step in that context, and by which unity and readiness to intensify further efforts towrds the common future within the EU was mutually expressed.

In this context, the importance of ratification and application of agreements recently signed in Berlin and Tirana was stressed, in order for the citizens to start seeing the benefits through better mobility and more favorable roaming services.

Participants also discussed about the election of the Secretary General of the RCC, as the SEECP's executive body.