Summary Description:

The project was able to achieve the overall objective of improving the efficiency and quality of services provided by the CEI Wholesale Markets Foundation to its member markets. The project implemented the majority of the activities expected under the specific development objectives. The Foundation at the beginning was a basis for the defined project activities, acting through the host agency (the Bronisze Wholesale Market, Warsaw). Some expansion of the membership has also occurred with the accession of Ukraine and Albania. The Foundation functioned as the central point of information exchange for institutions interested in cooperation with individual member markets and between members of the Foundation itself. The Foundation website, and workshops and meetings organised have established links with potential trade partners. Some successful synergies have been identified and developed with other organisations, particularly with other World Bank marketing projects and with the World Union of Wholesale Markets. A crucial aspect of the project was its capacity building dimension that has delivered results in innovative technical areas. Workshops and annual general meetings have created opportunities for regular communication and coordination. A number of lessons have been learned during the implementation of the project; the main lesson has been that adequate time is needed to set up an organisation such as the Foundation and allow it to become self-sustaining. Nonetheless, the flexibility in implementing the project has allowed it to respond to the evolving circumstances of both the member markets and the Foundation itself.