During an online institutional exchange on 10 April 2025, between the CEI Secretary General. On. Franco Dal Mas and WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, both parties reaffirmed their strong partnership, underscoring the importance of continued collaboration to promote health and well-being through regional cooperation.
Dal Mas commended the crucial role of the WHO Regional Office for Europe in providing expertise and support for the implementation of health-related initiatives. Looking ahead, he expressed the CEI’s readiness to explore an extension of the WHO Roadmap for Health and Well-Being in the Western Balkans 2021-25, now entering its final year, with the goal of securing political endorsement for the new roadmap in the framework of the Serbian CEI Presidency 2025.
With the CEI Plan of Action 2024–2026 now in force, the Organisation will continue to serve as a key platform for dialogue, coordination, and cooperation among Member States and stakeholders, including parliaments, civil society, and the private sector.
Kluge welcomed the CEI’s continued engagement, stressing that regional partnerships such as this one were essential for building stronger, more resilient health systems in the region.
Health has become a strategic priority for the CEI, with tangible progress achieved since the launch of the CEI-WHO cooperation in 2020, which continues with joint initiatives and synergies on health matters.
