News

The Ceremony of Handover-Takeover (HO-TO) of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial Coordination Committee (SEDM-CC) and the Politico-Military Steering Committee (PMSC) Chairmanship and SEEBRIG 26th Anniversary took place in Kumanovo, Republic of North Macedonia, on the 3rd of September 2025.

Romania handed over the rotating SEDM Chairmanship to the Hellenic Republic.

The event was held in the presence of distinguished representatives from the SEDM member nations, international organizations and local authorities .

As of 1 July 2025, the Hellenic Republic has assumed the Chairmaship and the Secretariat of the SEDM from Romania for the forthcoming two-year period (1 July 2025 – 30 June 2027). The official handover took place on 3 July 2025 at a meeting held at the Hellenic Armed Forces Officers Club in Athens.

The delegation of Romania was headed by the outgoing Chairperson of SEDM Chairmanship Simona COJOCARU and the delegation of Hellenic Republic by the Chairman of the incoming Chairmanship Ambassador a.h. Eleftherios ANGHELOPOULOS.

The Secretariat of Romania handed over to the Secretariat of Hellenic Republic the electronic and printed archives of the Process, as well as the official seals of the SEDM-CC and PMSC. Furthermore, presentations were delivered on the overall organization of the work, the current status of the Process and related projects, and the results achieved during the Romanian Chairmanship. Experts from both sides engaged in detailed discussions on practical aspects concerning the specifics and organization of the Secretariat’s work.

At the conclusion of the meeting, an official protocol was signed by both parties formalizing the handing over and taking over of the SEDM archive.

Between March 25-26^th, 2025, took place the 53^rd PMSC and 52^nd SEDM-CC Meetings, in Bucharest, Romania.

This last round of meetings conducted under the Chairmanship of Romania brought fruitful discussions, particularly those focused on strengthening the relevance of SEEBRIG, but also those for the implementing the new SEDM project in the resilience field.

In this regard, the first Roundtable event took place – “The resilience of SEDM states to developments that undermine democratic processes, and to the rising trends of populism”, organized by the Euro-Atlantic Resilience Center.

The Romanian Chairmanship wants to thank everyone for their contribution and dedication during this two-year mandate

The annual South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) meeting was held on the 6th of November in Tirana, the Republic of Albania. Ministers of Defence and highly-ranked representatives from all SEDM nations participated in the workings. The meeting was presided by the SEDM Chairperson, Ms. Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary and Chief of the Department for defence policy, planning and international relations.

The most important points of the ministerial meeting were the approval of a new SEDM project for enhancing the resilience of its member states, as well as the ministers taking note of PMSC endorsing the Concept Paper for strengthening the relevance of SEEBRIG.

Following the update on the latest developments on SEDM-CC projects and PMSC activities, the Commander of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) Brigadier General Bilbil Bitri, reviewed the Brigade’s activities since the last SEDM Ministerial meeting in 2023.

During the meeting, the SEDM nations’ Ministers and their representatives expressed their national views in regards to the SEDM Process, further consolidating their commitment and determination to continue contributing to the importance of the Initiative as a crucial format for regional cooperation.

The annual meeting of the Deputy Chiefs of Defence of SEDM was held on June 26th, in Istanbul, the Republic of Turkiye.

The forum was attended by Deputy Chiefs of Defence and their representatives from SEDM member states, the Commander of South East Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), as well as representatives of the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC), the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP/SEESAC). Representatives from Ukraine participated in an online format.

The participants in the meeting, chaired by the acting Chairperson and director of the SEDM Secretariat, Ms. Violeta Nicolescu, discussed the progress made and opportunities for further development of the SEDM process, as well as other topical issues for regional security and defence cooperation.  SEEBRIG Commander, Brigadier General Bitri, provided information on the activities that have occurred since the last Deputy Chiefs of Defence Meeting held in June 2023.

At the end of the meeting, a Joint statement of the Deputy Chiefs of Defence was adopted. 

The meetings of the Deputy Chiefs of Defence of the Southeast European countries are an important part of the SEDM process and are held annually in one of the member states on a rotational basis. They are an effective mechanism for enhancing regional security and are one of the most important forums for regional security and defence cooperation

On March 27-28, 2024, took place the 50th SEDM-CC and 51st PMSC meetings, held in Romania,in the beautiful city of Iaşi.

All SEDM nations took part in the reunion, alongside international organizations like RCC, RACVIAC and UNDP SEESAC, the last one in an online format.

In the opening speech, the SEDM Chairperson, Ms. Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary and Chief of the Department for defence policy, planning and international relations, outlined Bucharest's continous efforts to increase the visibility of SEDM and SEEBRIG's capacities and interoperability.

The talks included the best ways to keep SEDM relevant as a regional security provider, the potential of including resilience on the organization's agenda, as well as administrative details about the upcoming DCHOD meeting

The annual South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) meeting was held on the 22nd of November in Ankara, the Republic of Turkiye. Ministers of Defence and highly-ranked representatives from all SEDM nations participed in the works. The meeting was presided by the SEDM Chairperson, Ms. Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary and Chief of the Departament for defence policy, planning and international relations.

The most important point of the ministerial meeting was the Republic of Moldova becoming a fully-fledged SEDM member state once the Note of Accession was signed by representantives of all SEDM nations.

Following the update on the latest developments on SEDM-CC projects and PMSC activities,, the Commander of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) Brigadier General Bitri, reviewed the Brigade’s activities since the last SEDM Ministerial meeting in 2022.

During the meeting, the SEDM nations’ Ministers and their representatives expressed their national views and commitment to the SEDM Process, thus contributing to the importance of the Initiative as a crucial format for regional cooperation.

During the 1st and 2nd of November, 2023, the new COMSEEBRIG, Brigadier-General Bilbil Bitri, carried out a working visit to the new Chair Nation.

The SEEBRIG Commander engaged in office calls with the leadership of the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, visited structures of the Romanian Naval Forces and also took part in the celebration ceremony regarding 145 years of existence of the 9th Mechanized "Mărăşeşti" Brigade.

The visit was a wonderful opportunity to ensure pragmatism and coherence between Bucharest's Chairmanship objectives and COMSEEBRIG's vision for the Brigade.

Between September 13-14, 2023, in the beautiful city of Timişoara, took place the 49th SEDM-CC and 50th SEDM-PMSC meetings.

The first SEDM-CC/PMSC reunions held under the new Chairmanship of Bucharest were a productive and successful event, with many projects and efforts undertaken to bolster security in South-Eastern Europe.

All SEDM nations were represented at the meetings, and also the Commander of SEEBRIG. Delegates from international organizations, such as RACVIAC and UNDP/SEESAC, were also present.

In the opening speech, Bucharest's acting Chairperson outlined the priorities of the Romanian SEDM-CC/PMSC Chairmanship and expressed Bucharest's commitment to reinvigorate and consolidate the partnership between the SEDM nations and the potential of SEEBRIG.

Great to see everyone actively participating in discussions that will further our common security goals!