Under the motto “Regional Cooperation for European Integration and Bridge between Macro-regions”, the CEI Ministerial Meeting in Trieste on 13 June 2012 will be chaired by H.E. Mr. Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, which holds the CEI Presidency for 2012, and envisages the participation of Foreign Ministers and State Secretaries of the 18 CEI Member States. Representatives of international organisations and international financial institutions will also attend the meeting. The high-level political event is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the CEI Secretariat, which is based in Trieste, with the support of the Italian authorities.
Discussions will centre around the latest developments in the CEI region: Particular attention will be paid to the European integration process of CEI Member States which are not members of the European Union, to the possibilities for an increased cooperation with the European Union and to the expectations from the existing and upcoming macro-regional strategies. Participants will share views on how the CEI Plan of Action 2013-2015 could further boost cooperation among the CEI Member States. The Ministers will also take note of the advancement of the CEI cooperation at project level. The project dimension of CEI cooperation has often been commended by the CEI Member States. Over the years, about 50 million EUR have been allocated from a number of CEI funds and instruments. Among these, the Italy-supported CEI Fund at the EBRD in London - celebrating its 20th anniversary this year - has provided about 36.5 million EUR. The CEI has been a pioneer of regional cooperation ever since its foundation in 1989. It has been able to significantly contribute to the promotion of the political dialogue among the countries of Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Its unique membership (9 EU and 9 non-EU Member States) and its project-oriented methods of cooperation (over the years, about 50 million Euro allocated in projects from various CEI funds and instruments) have made the CEI a strategic player and a model of regional cooperation at the European level and beyond. The Observer Status at the General Assembly of the United Nations, unanimously granted to the CEI on 9 December 2011 by Resolution 66/111, will closely connect the CEI to global issues. Draft Programme Draft Agenda Programme for the press and accreditation