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The 'Central European Initiative' or 'CEI', is a political, economical, cultural and scientific international cooperative of at present 17 countries, founded in 1991/92 as a successor of the Pentagonale group.¹ It is a body of international cooperation whose strategic function is to contribute to the economic development of Central Europe, broaden opportunities for dialogue over the whole area and prepare non-EU members of the CEI for future membership of the Union.

Contents

Institutions and goals

Membership

Presidency

See also

External links

Notes

Institutions and goals

In accordance with the proposal of the Italian government, Trieste was chosen as the seat of the permanent CEI secretariat. The inaugural ceremony was held in the Sala Maggiore of the Chamber of Commerce on March 15, 1996.
In the meantime, in 1992, Italy signed an Agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the establishment of a CEI Trust Fund for which Italy has made a total contribution of €28 million since its inception. A CEI Project Secretariat was subsequently established at the EBRD the following year in order to manage the Trust Fund.
The Chambers of Commerce of the CEI member states have launched a parallel cooperation programme, whose centre is also in Trieste. On June 18, 1994 the Trieste Chamber, with the collaboration of the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce, hosted the first Conference of CEI Chamber Presidents and on April 19, 1995 held a conference on projects for reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The most recent Conference of CEI Chamber Presidents, held in Warsaw on December 8, 1995, accepted the proposal of the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce to make Trieste the seat of its permanent secretariat. It will work alongside the secretariat of the CEI governments.
The first programmes to be worked on concern economic information to serve companies in CEI countries, with telematic facilities, training in entrepreneurship and management and cooperation with the government-level Secretariat in implementing reconstruction projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Membership

'Founding members':

★ (1989)

★ (1990)

★
★ (1993)

★
★ (1993)

★ (1989)

★ (1989)

★ (1991)

★ (1989)

★
★ (1992)

★
★ (1992)

★
★ (1993)

★
★ (August 2, 2006)

★
★ (2000)

★
★ (1992)
'Joined later':

★ (1995)

★ (1995)

★ (1995)

★ (1996)

★ (1995)

★ (1995)

Presidency

On 24 November 2006 Bulgaria assumed the rotating CEI presidency from Albania.

See also

★ Central Europe, Southeastern Europe

★ Alois Mock, Gyula Horn, Erhard Busek

★ Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe (SP for SEE)

★ Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP)

★ Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)

★ Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI)

★ Black Sea Economic Co-operation (BSEC)

External links

★ website of the Central European Initiative

★ website of Slovak Presidency

Notes

# ''Pentagonale'' was the ''pentagon'' of five countries: Austria, Hungary, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. It was created by the addition of Poland to the Alps-Adriatic Workgroup or ''Quadragonale''. By extension, CEI was initially referred to as the ''Hexagonale'' because it had six members (Poland was added in 1991).