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Regional Cooperation Council

Regional Cooperation Council. Nand Shani Economic and Social Development Unit Nand.shani@rcc.int. Why Regional Cooperation? An important mechanism contributing to the lasting stabilization of South East Europe and its faster integration into the EU and NATO.

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Regional Cooperation Council

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  1. Regional Cooperation Council Nand Shani Economic and Social Development Unit Nand.shani@rcc.int

  2. Why Regional Cooperation? An important mechanism contributing to the lasting stabilization of South East Europe and its faster integration into theEU and NATO. The RCC addresses the two key dimensions of regional cooperation: the political and the project/program-oriented

  3. Who We Are The RCC is an inter-governmental framework which serves as the operational arm of the South-Eastern Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP). The RCC has 46 members, including individual countries, international organizations and international financial institutions. What We Do Facilitating regional cooperation in South East Europe Helping to accelerate reforms in the region Supporting the delivery of commitments with regard to European and Euro-Atlantic integration Encouraging the EU and international community to engage in the region; promoting donor involvement and coordination.

  4. Priority Areas Economic and social development Energy and infrastructure Justice and home affairs Security cooperation Building human capital Parliamentary cooperation (as an overarching theme) Three additional cross-cutting issues include gender mainstreaming, social cohesion and civil society.

  5. Achievements in 2008: • Completed transition process from the Stability Pact for SEE to RCC; • Opening of the RCC Liaison Office in Brussels and nomination of the Special Envoy for relations with the Presidency of the European Council; • Political consultations with RCC members; • RCC presentations held in the SEE capitals; • Mapping of national priorities regarding regional cooperation in SEE; • Coordination and streamlining of SEE regional initiatives and structures; • Initiated networking process among RCC Secretariat, members from SEE, EC and IFIs (including Multi-beneficiary IPA and IFIAG); • Preparation of the Project Portfolio of the RCC; • Cooperation with other regional organizations and initiatives (CEI, BSEC, AII, Danube Cooperation Process).

  6. Economic and Social Development Unit at RCC The Economic and Social Development Unit of the RCC supports regional economic development initiatives, while advocating the inclusion of social partners in economic policy dialogue. It seeks to promote an awareness of the principles of quality of work and life. Sustained economic development is only possible where accompanied by adequate social policy.

  7. Key Issues • Economic Development • Investment Facilitation • SME Development • Free Trade Social Development • Labor and Employment Policy • Social Dialogue • Public Health + Development of Information and Communication Technology

  8. What Is It? • Bucharest Employment Process • Ministers of labor/heads of employment agencies committedto regional cooperation in employment • Country reviews of employment policy conducted with help of CoE and ILO - recommendations endorsed by Ministerial Conference in 2007 • Regular meetings of high level officials (Employment Network) to monitor and supervise implementation of Bucharest Process • SEE Health Network • 21 leading international experts + > 100 health policy makers and technical experts from SEE • Supervises activities of regional public health projects led by countries • Serves as regional cooperation forum • Sample projects: community mental health, tobacco control, safety of blood products, etc. • Social Dialogue • Participation of social partners in meetings of the Employment Network • Promotion of a broad social partnership between public authorities and social partners: involvement of social partners in national tripartite dialogue

  9. Employment One of the most negative impacts of the transition process lies in high unemployment - How to ensure job rich economic growth? High informal economy Active labor market policies: objectives and financing Passive labor market policies: Unemployment benefit system Vulnerable groups

  10. Employment Cannot attract investment geared to exploiting low-wage based exports. Productivity improvement critical to outgrow the relatively high wages - trade and technological improvements An agreement on movement of skilled labor: Regional labor market Mutual recognition of professional qualifications and educational institutions Temporary worker agreements Return migration programs can help in skill formation

  11. The Bucharest Process: Achievements • Threeministerialconferences set the framework for cooperation and emphasize the political importance of addressing the employment challenges facing SEE • Regular meetings of high level officials to monitor and supervise implementation of Bucharest Process and to discuss peer reviews of employment policies conducted by participating countries • Employmentpolicies of 7 countries reviewed and priority recommandations underimplementation (CREPs) • Establishment of the Center of Public Employment Services of Southeast Europe • Strengthenedcapacity of MoL, PES and the social partners to formulate and implementemploymentpolicies • Fosteredtripartite dialogue on employmentpolicyat national level • Introducedgenderequalityconcerns in employmentpolicies and in the operations of PES • Developednational profiles on occupationalsafetyand health

  12. Challenges Ahead • Keepemploymentpolicy as a politicalpriorityatboth national and regionallevels • Continue national implementation of priorityrecommendations on employmentpolicy • Sustainability of the permanent network for knowledge sharing and mutuallearningatregionallevel • Strengthencapacity to design, monitor and evaluateemploymentpolicies • Maintain open method of coordination throughpeerreviews on employmentpolicy • Develop joint projects and initiatives • Mobilization of human and financialresources to continue workthatwasunder the BucharestProcess and StabilityPact • Better links and coordination betweenemployment and othereconomic and social policies

  13. Social dialogue • Relevance in times of economic downturn • Road ahead from the RCC perspective • Structures, capacities, attitudes • Bipartite meeting to prepare joint recommendations to tackle crisis and RCC to facilitate the discussions with the governments. • Regional meetings

  14. Planned Activities • Social Development • Support to implementation of Bucharest Employment Process: Regional Employment Network Secretariat, Center of Public Employment Services of SEE • Promotion of regional social dialogue mechanism + strengthening capacities of social partners • Support to regional ownership of SEE Health Network + transformation of regional projects into sustainable long term programs

  15. Benefits of integration and beyond Economic growth as well as new and better jobs Increased competitiveness through healthy competition Renewed relations between the countries of former Yugoslavia and the wider region Good preparation and adjustment for full EU membership

  16. THANK YOU

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