Romania takes over in 2009 the Presidency of Central European Initiative

Romania is to take over in 2009 the Presidency of the Central European Initiative (CEI), for the first time since 1996, when it became member of the organization.

Romania intends to assume an increased responsibility in the organization, on the operational level and in terms of regional cooperation, which is an important field in supporting Southeastern and Eastern European states in getting closer to the EU.

Targets

Moreover, Romania will operate towards the consolidation of the cooperation between the EU member states and non-members, so as to facilitate the transfer of know-how and granting of punctual assistance in such relevant fields of activity for the relation with the EU. Thus, Romania will support the capitalization of the opportunities offered by the CEI, to be transposed in concrete projects.

Moreover, there are to be supported mainly such instruments to strengthen the CEI's operational capacity and its potential related to projects and cooperation programmes. Among such fields of activity to be encouraged there would be: crossborder cooperation, transports, economy, tourism and agriculture.

Romania will act so as to consolidate the CEI's role as partner in certain EU programmes and to increase visibility of the CEI's projects on the level of the European Commission.

Romania will act so as to consolidate the CEI's role as partner in certain EU programmes and to increase visibility of the CEI projects on the level of the European Commission. The Romanian Presidency of the CEI will also take into account such actions on the governmental and parliamentary level.

According to a release of the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), Romania's mandate at the CEI will represent a new growth opportunity for the country's regional profile, after holding Presidency of the SEECP - South-East European Cooperation Process(2004-2005) and BSEC - Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (2005-2006), as well as after hosting the Regional Table of the South-East Europe Stability Pact (2006).

CEI Members

The Central European Initiative, which celebrates in 2009 its 20th anniversary, gathers together 18 states: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Hungary.

Romania became a member of the CEI on June 1, 1996, on the occasion a meeting in Vienna of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of the organization.

Once Romania and Bulgaria became member of the EU on January 1, 2007, CEI has the same number of EU member states (Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria) and non-member (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine). Moreover, CEI includes eight NATO member states (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary).

The CEI states that became member with the EU in 2004 and 2007 have thus the possibility to share from their own experience in the institutional and economic field and may thus contribute with their own resources to help non-member state sget closer to the EU.

Source: Embassy of Romania in London