News
On 24–25 June 2026, the 21st International DisCo Conference took place at Microsoft, Prague, under the theme “Future-Ready Skills: Cultivating Digital Fluency and Opportunity for Youth, Women, and Displaced Communities.” The conference brought together participants from fifteen countries, with a strong representation from CEI Member States.
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.
On 25 and 26 June 2026, the Executive-Secretariat participated in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the RAMOGE Agreement as an official obse
On 25 June 2026, Secretary General Franco Dal Mas took part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 (URC 2026) in Gdańsk, Poland, the leading international conference dedicated to Ukraine's reconstruction, organised by the Governments of Ukraine and Poland.
Gender equality in contemporary foreign policy and regional responses to gender-based violence were at the centre of the debate during the “CEI Conference on gender equality and diplomacy: the role of Ministries of Foreign Affairs in promoting gender equality in the CEI region”, held in Podgorica on 24-25 June.
Strengthening the resilience of democratic institutions, supporting the European path of the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova, and promoting regional cooperation as a tool for stability and security.
On 17 June the CEI attended the 49th plenary meeting of the SEE Health Network, which this year focused on soft power and innovation, digital health innovation ecosystems, advanced nursing roles and leadership and emergency preparedness.
On 19 June 2026, Senator Maurizio Gasparri, President of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Italian Senate, visited the CEI Headquartes where he met with Secretary General Franco Dal Mas and with the Staff members of the CEI - Executive Secretariat.
“Enlargement is not merely an institutional process; it is the completion of the European project. The formal opening of accession negotiations with the European Union for Ukraine and Moldova, both member countries of the Central European Initiative (CEI), represents a significant step in this direction.
On 8 - 12 June 2026, the XXVI Summer Seminar for Young Public Policy Professionals took place in Albena, Bulgaria. Organised by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the event brought together young professionals, experts and policymakers from across Central and Eastern Europe.
Thanks to the CEI’s observer status at the Council of Europe Youth Department, the CEI - Executive Secretariat represented by Deputy Secretary General Zsuzsanna Király was granted the opportunity to actively participate in the three-day workshop.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the Call for Proposals under the CEI Know‑how Exchange Programme (KEP).
The Programme supports capacity building, institutional strengthening and technical assistance initiatives, serving as a key instrument to promote regional cooperation and advance the EU integration process.
Deputy Secretary General, Ivana Pejović, participated in the 18th Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Annual Meeting, co-chaired with the Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Sofia on 9 June 2026.
Today Secretary General Franco Dal Mas, met in Brussels with senior officials of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), as well as with the Permanent Representatives of Italy, Ambassador Vincenzo Celeste, and Romania, Ambassador Iulia Matei, whose country c
Deputy Secretary General Yurii Mushka took part in the certificate awarding ceremony of the UA NEXT: Strengthening Dialogue and Local Engagement of Ukrainian Communities in CEI Countries project, held in Prague on 29 May 2026 at the Embassy of Ukraine, Czech Republic.
The CEI and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) are proud to announce the 2026 Call for Applications.<