On 22 June 2026, the CEI’s 2025-2026 co-chairmanship of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance, jointly held with the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Trieste, concluded at the Alliance’s General Assembly meeting.
Over the past twelve months, the CEI has run an extensive programme of activities, including networking events such as “Exploring the Nexus between Big Science and Science Diplomacy” (Prague, 9 April 2026) and “When Science Meets Diplomacy” (Belgrade, 13 May 2026). It also organised the first edition of the Advanced Training Course “Challenges and Perspectives of Science Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe” (Trieste–Gorizia, 25–28 November 2025), strengthening capacity-building efforts in the region
The CEI has also actively contributed to major international and European conferences on science diplomacy, including “Shaping the Future through Science Diplomacy: From Global Dialogue to Regional Action”, organised by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (Ljubljana, 18–19 November 2025), and the “2nd European Science Diplomacy Conference”, organised by the EU Danish Presidency and the European Commission (Copenhagen, 17–18 December 2025).
Through these initiatives, the CEI has helped expand the Alliance by bringing in several new partners, including organisations from CEI Member States not previously represented in the network, while showcasing the science diplomacy potential of a region that brings together both EU members and candidate countries.
Overall, the CEI’s co-chairmanship has reaffirmed its useful role in strengthening science diplomacy in Europe. In this regard, a recent milestone was the adoption by the Council of the European Union of the Recommendation on a European Framework for Science Diplomacy, which formally incorporates science diplomacy into the EU acquis and encourages Member States to invest in this increasingly important dimension of international relations.
The Recommendation specifically identifies the EU’s eastern border and the Western Balkans as geopolitically strategic environments where science diplomacy can help address global sustainability challenges.
Building on this experience, the CEI will continue its work in the field. The second edition of the Advanced Training Course “Challenges and Perspectives of Science Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe” will take place in Trieste and Gorizia from 24 to 27 November 2026.
The CEI is actively participating in SIDNET – Science in Diplomacy Network, a project funded under the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) programme, which recently held its first Plenary Meeting in Como, Italy, on 18–19 June 2026.
Through its continued engagement in the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance and in projects such as SIDNET, the CEI remains committed to strengthening the role of science diplomacy in advancing regional cooperation and European integration across Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
For more info: lombardo@cei.int
