Cooperation and Synergies

The CEI works in close cooperation with several international and regional organisations. By joining experience, knowledge and funds with partner organisations, the CEI was able to enhance its impact. It has, therefore, developed a variety of working relations with partners throughout Europe.

In the economic sector, a close partnership with the EBRD has been established. In areas such as agriculture, environment, SMEs and transport, co-operation with international organisations like UNECE, UNEP, OECD, FAO is a standing practice. In the human development areas (culture, education, minorities, media, etc.) the CEI has found strong partners with expert knowledge in a number of specialised organisations such as UNESCO, OSCE, the Council of Europe and others.

As regards cooperation with the European Commission (EC), this relationship has always been a key factor of concern of the CEI. The CEI-ES, through its Secretariat for EU Projects (former Funding Unit) has succeeded in obtaining support from the EU funds for more than a dozen CEI projects as partner, covering various areas (e.g. spatial development, ICT and information society, transport, SME development, energy, etc.). An important development is that the CEI has obtained the role of lead partner in some of them. Through this operational and project-oriented approach, the CEI will continue further pursuing stronger institutional ties with the EC.

Cooperation between the CEI and other regional actors is ensured through Coordination Meetings. These meetings are aimed at guaranteeing that cooperation among the regional organisations is enhanced and that possible duplications or overlapping in concrete activities are avoided. Moreover, these meetings provide an excellent opportunity for establishing contacts on bi- or trilateral level. Indeed, the CEI-ES has an excellent bilateral cooperation with the RCC, BSEC and AII. Furthermore, the CEI-ES and the RCC Secretariat have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).