On 6 May 2025, the CEI and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - presented in Belgrade the latest activities of the CEI Fund at the EBRD.
Keynotes addresses were delivered by Secretary General, Hon. Franco Dal Mas; Serbian Minister of Trade, Jagoda Lazarević; Minister for European Integration, Nemanja Starović, and Ambassador Gori, who hosted the event at the Italian Embassy.
Representatives of Institutions, business, NGOs were in attendance.
The gathering is part of a broader roadshow conducted by the CEI and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) across the Western Balkans and other CEI beneficiary countries. It aims to showcase the CEI’s continued commitment to supporting the EU integration process of its Member States through the CEI Fund at the EBRD - one of the Organisation’s main operational instruments entirely financed by Italy, which supports Technical Cooperation (TC) and Know-how Exchange Programme (KEP) projects.
Overall, through this Fund, 118 technical assistance and capacity-building projects have been financed, for a total value of over 11 million euros.
CEI Secretary General Franco Dal Mas stated:
“I am pleased that we could launch this innovative presentation cycle from Belgrade. Today’s event confirms the centrality of the CEI Fund at the EBRD as one of the Organisation’s key financial instruments supporting our Member States. In this regard, cooperation with Serbia currently holding the CEI Presidency is particularly strategic.”
The next roadshow stops are taking place in Skopje (7 May) and Tirana (8 May).
This event has reaffirmed the shared commitment of Italy, the CEI and its partners to advancing regional cooperation and accelerating the European integration of the Western Balkans.
For more info: dovier@cei.int
