As SEECP Chair, Romania Will Incentivize EU Enlargement

Bucharest, Romania (Photo: Pixabay)

As the country chairing the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP), Romania will focus on three priorities, one of which is support to the enlargement of the European Union and the gradual integration of candidate countries into its common market, the Foreign Ministry of Romania announced in Bucharest on June 10.

At the June 10 SEECP Summit in Sofia, Romania took over the one-year presidency of the organization, from July 1 this year to June 30, 2027. This Summit also marks 30 years since the founding of this regional forum. The Ministry has announced that Romania would have three priorities during its mandate. The first is “support to EU enlargement and the gradual integration of participants into the common European market, and empowering the voice of the region in European institutions,” it was stated in the announcement.

The second is strengthening resistance to hybrid and cyber threats, disinformation, and in cases of natural disasters or medical emergencies. The third priority, it was stated, is the strengthening of economic development through energy, traffic and digital connecting, the realization of the SEE 2030 Strategy and the Western Balkan Green Agenda, with special focus on young people and the civil society.

It was emphasized in the statement that SEECP is the only forum founded and managed by the countries of the region. The forum, founded in 1996, rallies 13 states with more than 150 million people, with the goal of strengthening the connection between South East Europe, the EU and the Euro-Atlantic space.