Mission

The Central European Initiative (CEI) was founded in Budapest on 11 November 1989. It is a regional intergovernmental forum committed to supporting European integration and sustainable development through cooperation between and among its Member States and with the European Union, international and regional organisations as well as with other public or private institutions and non-governmental organisations. While acting as a platform for political dialogue, the CEI has developed a strong operational, result-oriented approach to regional cooperation. It combines multilateral diplomacy and fund, programme and project management as both donor and recipient. The everyday CEI activities are handled by the CEI-Executive Secretariat in Trieste, including the development and implementation of projects.

Strategic Goals

• a united Europe without dividing lines, with shared values embracing all countries, regions, peoples and citizens;
• strong capacities of Member States towards good governance, rule of law and sustainable economic development for stability, social cohesion, security and prosperity.

through

• people-to-people mobility in the framework of short-term activities such as seminars workshops and trainings; 
• capacity building and best-practice transfer from institutions in CEI-EU countries to benefit recipients in non-EU CEI Member States;
• implementation of EU projects focusing on transnational and regional cooperation.

Functioning & Structure

The CEI operates in a flexible and demand-driven manner to promote cooperation at intergovernmental, inter-parliamentary and economic level.