Presidency

Yesterday 17 July 2019, on the occasion of the UN High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development 2019, the Central European Initiative – Executive Secretariat, in cooperation with the CEI Italian Presidency, the Italian Permanent Mission to the UN, organised a side-event on  “The contribution of regional cooperation and partnerships to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda: the experience of the Central European initiative (CEI)“.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the CEI Member States held their annual meeting in Trieste (Italy) on 12 June 2019 under the Italian CEI Presidency. The gathering - entitled Central European Initiative at thirty and towards the future: common vision, shared values, European standards, strong regional cooperation - was chaired by H.E. Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, who reconfirmed his country's commitment to the CEI mission and objectives.

In the framework of the Italian CEI Presidency, the Meeting of the Parliamentary Committee of the CEI Parliamentary Dimension under the title “Strengthening the local dimension of the Central European Initiative” took place in Trieste on 27-28 May at the premises of the Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The First Committee of CEI National Coordinators' meeting was held in Rome on 22 February. The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Enzo Moavero Milanesi opened the gathering which witnessed the approval by the CEI National Coordinators of four technical cooperation projects to be supported by the CEI Fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), financed by Italy (2018 budget).

The 1st Committee of National Coordinators' meeting, held in Rome on 22 February, was opened by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Enzo Moavero Milanesi. He singled out some of the priorities of the Italian CEI Presidency, in particular: strengthening cooperation with the EU, especially the European Commission; better exploiting the CEI's observer status at the UN; exploring ways to extend cooperation with local and regional entities. 

The Heads of Government of the CEI Member States met in Zagreb on 3-4 December 2018 for their Summit, the top political event in the framework of the Initiative.

In the framework of the Croatian CEI Presidency, the Parliamentary Assembly of the CEI Parliamentary Dimension was held in Zagreb, Croatia, on 25-26 November, under the topic “Tourism Development and Local Community: How to Foster Sustainability?”.

On 26-27 September 2018, the Ministry of Construction and Physical Planning of Croatia organised the international expert conference “Energy Efficiency in buildings - for a better tomorrow” in Zagreb.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the CEI Member States held their traditional informal meeting in New York, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (73rd  Session), on 26 September 2018.