Cooperation and Synergies

The CEI works in close cooperation with several international and regional organisations.

In the economic sector, a close partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been established, thanks to the Office for the CEI Fund at the EBRD. The Initiative also cooperates with a number of United Nations (UN) specialized entities in the economic areas, namely the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in the area of enterprise development, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in the area of science and technology. In the economic areas it also cooperates with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As to the human development areas (culture, education, minorities, media, etc.), the CEI has found strong partners with expert knowledge in a number of organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe and others.

As regards cooperation with the European Union (EU), this relationship has always been a key factor of concern of the CEI. The CEI Secretariat has succeeded in obtaining support from the EU funds for more than a dozen CEI projects as partner, covering various areas (e.g. spatial development, ICT and information society, transport, SME development, energy, etc.). An important development is that the CEI has obtained the role of lead partner in some of them. Through this operational and project-oriented approach, the CEI pursues stronger institutional ties with the European Commission (EC). Regular contacts with the European Parliament and the European External Action Service (EEAS) are also maintained.

Cooperation between the CEI and other regional actors is ensured through Coordination Meetings. These meetings are aimed at guaranteeing that cooperation among the regional organisations is enhanced and that possible duplications or overlapping in concrete activities are avoided. Moreover, these meetings provide an excellent opportunity for establishing contacts on bi- or trilateral level. Indeed, the CEI has an excellent bilateral cooperation with the the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII), the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Furthermore, the CEI has signed Memoranda of Understanding with the RCC and BSEC.

The Observer Status in the General Assembly of the UN, granted unanimously on 9 December 2011 by resolution 66/111, represents a worldwide recognition of the CEI activities.