Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the assumption of the South-East European Cooperation Process Chairmanship by Greece (1 July 2021-30 June 2022)

As of today, July 1, 2021, and for one year Greece is taking over the Chairmanship-in-office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

The South-East European Cooperation Process was launched in 1996 and the first Summit was held in Crete on 4.11.1997. It is the only regional cooperation mechanism in which exclusively all the countries of South-Eastern Europe, as well as Kosovo, participate.

Apart from Greece, the following countries participate: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey. Goal of the SEECP is the strengthening of good neighbourly relations among the participants, as well as the appropriate preparation for integration into the Euro-Atlantic institutions, with co-operation in the fields of rule of law, security and the economy.

Since 2008, the regional cooperation mechanism has been institutionally upgraded with the establishment of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the Secretariat of which is based in Sarajevo and functions as the operational arm of the Process. Its goal is to promote specialized regional cooperation in priority areas and to provide know-how to the Western Balkans countries, mainly with regards to their European perspective. At the same time, the RCC has undertaken an operational role for the implementation of programs in the Western Balkans, in the framework of regional initiatives and in coordination with the European Commission, in order to promote the European perspective and the socio-economic development of the region.

The promotion of regional cooperation is a key component of Greece’s policy in the Western Balkans and serves as a vehicle for the integration of the countries of South – Eastern Europe into the European and Euro – Atlantic institutions.

With regards to procedural matters, no national symbols (e.g. flags, coats of arms) are displayed in the SEECP and references to participant countries are made by using the name of their respective capital.