Economic growth

On 14 June the CEI hosted the launch event of pilot action n. 1 of the CONNECT2CE project, financed by ERDF under the Interreg Central Europe programme.

The Steering Committee Meeting of the project CONNECT2CE (Improved rail connections and smart mobility in Central Europe) took place in Bolzano (Italy) on 23-24 May, on the premises of EURAC (project partner).

On 23 and 24 April 2018, the city of Zadar, Croatia, hosted the official Kick-off Meeting of the BLUE_BOOST project. Seven project partners from Croatia, Italy, Greece and Albania gathered to launch this 22-month project co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg ADRION Programme.  
 

More than 125 representatives from the business community as well as lawyers and arbitrators attended the conference "Strengthening the cooperation between business partners by enhancing arbitral resolution of disputes - Modern times for Arbitration: Initiatives and perspectives" held in Skopje, Macedonia, on 19-20 April.
 
Considering that over the last years, many arbitral institutions have revised their arbitration rules with a focus on speed and time-efficiency, the discussion paid attention to the efficiency of arbitration proceedings.

The 4helix+ project, co-financed by the ERDF under the Interreg MED Programme, was successfully kicked off in Rome on 16-17 April.

CEI Deputy Secretary General, Antal Nikoletti, took part in the 1st TESI international meeting, entitled “Towards ESOF 2020 Trieste – Fostering networks and collaborations” held in Trieste on 15 March. The event allowed for a first open debate on the forthcoming activities related to ESOF 2020, whose main event is taking place in Trieste on 4-10 July 2018.

The Regional Hidden Economy Forum in Skopje, Macedonia on 7 February was organised by the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) from Macedonia, in cooperation with the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) from Albania and the Democracy 4 Development (D4D) from Kosovo*. The forum brought together over 90 researchers and policymakers from 10 CEI countries to discuss the latest trends in measuring the hidden economy and transforming the findings into policies.
 

The two-day international conference held in Skopje, Macedonia on 9-10 November centered around the topics of the SME Instrument and Horizon 2020. The event was opened by Natascia LAI from the Executive Agency for SMEs, European Commission, who presented the possibilities the programme offered to companies, explained what the Commission was looking for in an innovative project and what the future brought in terms of funding of innovative ideas.
 

The expert conference on "Transport & Logistics - Optimization of the distribution of goods in the regions" took place in Opatija, Croatia on 9 November 2017. The event was organised by The Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) and was attended by more than 85 participants from over eight European countries.

The conference, held in Chisinau on 25-27 May, witnessed the participation of around 60 women entrepreneurs in the crafts field from Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova. Discussions focused on problems faced by women entrepreneurs, solutions and success stories. The gathering aimed at transferring knowledge and exchanging experiences and good practices on migration management in order to contribute to opening new job opportunities.

Useful inputs for business starters and new insights on market trends were the key aspects of the Conference “SMEs – Business development and regional cooperation” held on in Belgrade on 3 March. Organised by the media production company Business Info Group (BIG), the event aimed at increasing  SME sector operations, cooperation between decision makers and SME representatives as well as at stimulating export growth. 

Under the title ”Driving Forces and Perspectives for the Development of the CEI Wood Sector”,  the CEI Business Forum organised under the BiH CEI Presidency, took place in Sarajevo on 16 December. Representatives of several companies and institutions from CEI countries, including the President of the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH and a representative of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, gathered in order to discuss issues and opportunities for the timber industry in the region.

As part of the MEDOCE project  "Establishing Methodology for the Development of CE Application for Directive on Machinery", on 24 November, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) hosted a training for producers of machinery who have to meet the technical  requirements regarding CE marking or the Serbian harmonisation marking for their products.

The final event of the MEDOCE Project "Establishing Methodology for the Development of CE Application for Directive on Machinery" was held in Belgrade on 25 October.

Connecting China via land and sea with the global economy through the Belt and Road Initiative will eventually encompass three continents, more than 65 countries and more than 4 billion people who produce 55 per cent of the world’s gross national product.
 

Approximately 80 participants from eight European countries, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia, attended the seminar on energy efficiency held in Novi Sad on 22 April 2016. The topic on energy efficiency also attracted many key players in the region, mainly representing civil organisations, government bodies and universities.
 

SME representatives from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in Belgrade, Serbia, on 19 February 2016 to attend the conference “Small and medium-sized enterprises - regional networking and business improvement“.
 
The main objective of the Conference was to boost SME development in the CEI region through exchange of knowledge and good practices, networking and dialogue with public officials in support of a business-friendly environment.
 

Under the Macedonian CEI Presidency 2015, the Business Forum on “Promotion of Regional Cooperation for Improving Market Competitiveness of CEI Agricultural and Food Business” was held in Skopje on 26 November 2015. The event gathered more than 90 high-ranking participants from the various CEI Ministries of Agriculture, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises and Embassies in Skopje.

Representatives from 16 tourist destinations in 7 countries, namely Lezhe and Tirana (Albania); Tuzla and Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Sofia (Bulgaria); Zadar and Varazdin (Croatia); Stip and Ohrid (Macedonia); Baau, Costinesti and Bucharest (Romania); Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, Arandjelovac and Belgrade (Serbia) gathered in Bucharest on 30 October 2014 to attend the second SEEMORE Central European Transfer Seminar.