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We are pleased to acknowledge the generous financial support of the following organisations in the compilation of this database:
The Central European Initiative (CEI) is composed of 17 Member States: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. They embrace a territory of 2.4 million square kilometres and a population of nearly 260 million. As of 1st May 2004, the CEI has 7 EU and 10 non-EU Member countries. The CEI was established in 1989 as an intergovernmental forum for political, economic and cultural co-operation among its Member States. Its main aim was to help transition countries in Central Europe come closer to the EU. In the second half of 1990's, the extension of its membership to South-Eastern and Eastern Europe refocused its priorities on countries in special need.
One of CEI's objectives is to bring the countries of Central and Eastern Europe closer together and assist them in their preparation process for EU membership. In this regard, the new CEI Plan of Action 2004-2006 outlines the organisation's future intentions. Although the CEI is not a major donor organisation, it disposes of several funds which are used to promote projects in its various sectors of activity. The CEI cooperates with other international organisations and institutions such as the OECD, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the EBRD, the World Bank, the UNECE as well as with other regional actors, i.e. the Adriatic Ionian Initiative, BSEC, the Danube Co-operation Process, the Stability Pact, the SECI and the SEECP. Regular contacts have been established with the European Union.
The accession of the five CEI Member States to the EU has shifted CEI's interest towards the 10 MS staying outside the EU. Indeed, a new CEI programme is to facilitate and co-finance the transfer of know-how on "fresh" transition and negotiation experience.
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