The Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Amer Kapetanović, participated on Tuesday in the conference “Western Balkans: Advancing Employment and Social Policies Together,” held in Berlin within the framework of the Berlin Process, focusing on strengthening cooperation in the field of employment and social policies in the Western Balkans. The conference was organized by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, while opening remarks were delivered by Bärbel Bas, Naida Nišić, on behalf of Montenegro’s 2026 Chairmanship of the Berlin Process, as well as Roxana Mînzatu through a video message, KDP.MK reports.
Kapetanović spoke at the panel “Promoting Employment: Effective Strategies for Sustainable and Inclusive Labour Markets” together with Delina Ibrahimaj, Besar Durmishi, and Jelena Vasić. The discussion focused on the common labour market challenges across the region, including skills shortages, informality, demographic pressures, labour mobility, and the need to modernize public employment services.
“Across the Western Balkans, labour markets face different circumstances, but many of the structural challenges are shared. On average, employment and activity rates remain significantly below European Union levels, youth unemployment and NEET rates continue to be high, participation in lifelong learning remains limited, while informality continues to weaken productivity, public revenues, and access to social protection. This is why regional cooperation is not an additional task, but a practical necessity. The Berlin Process provides the political direction, the Action Plan defines the concrete priorities, while the role of the RCC is to support their implementation through analysis, exchange of experiences, monitoring, and practical tools that strengthen institutions and deliver results for citizens,” said Kapetanović.
Speaking about the RCC’s contribution in the field of employment and social policy, Kapetanović highlighted the role of the Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) in supporting Western Balkan partners through regional analysis, alignment with EU standards, and practical mechanisms such as benchmarking of Public Employment Services and Mutual Assistance Projects aimed at combating undeclared work. These mechanisms enable employment services, labour inspectorates, tax administrations, and ministries to compare performance, identify gaps, exchange experiences, and move from political commitments to concrete and measurable improvements.
The conference also marked the presentation and official launch of the Berlin Process Action Plan on Employment and Social Policy, which aims to strengthen cooperation in areas such as labour mobility, skills development, modernization of employment services, and closer alignment with European Union systems.
Kapetanović further stated that the region does not lack strategies or commitments, but rather stronger implementation, broader outreach, and consistency in action. “No one else will build sustainable labour markets for the Western Balkans except the authorities of the region themselves, working together and for the benefit of their citizens. The RCC will continue to support this work by linking regional cooperation with European Union processes and helping commitments deliver visible and measurable results,” Kapetanović concluded.