In the framework of the current Montenegrin presidency of Central European Initiative (CEI), representatives of the International Group of Experts (IGE) and Committee of National Coordinators (CNC) of the countries members of CEI met last week in Vienna. The meetings were chaired by Ambassador Nebojša Kaluđerović.

At the meeting of IGE, whose mandate is to draft recommendations regarding revitalization and strengthening of CEI, the experts exchanged their views on the opportunities for enhanced dialogue between CEI and European Union and the strengthening of its presence in the region, which has been recognized as the main priority of our country, as a future candidate for EU membership, during its presidency of CEI. They also discussed the possibilities for project-based cooperation in order to attract financing from the CEI and EU funds, and the ways to promote and raise visibility of the Initiative on the national, regional and international level. The recommendations will be presented to the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the countries members of CEI at the summit in June 2010, and will be discussed beforehand at the next meeting of IGE in May this year.

The meeting of CNC was for the most part dedicated to the overview of the progress that had been made according to the priorities and agenda of the Montenegrin presidency to date, and to the presentation of the upcoming activities. NC’s exchanged their opinions on the achievements of IGE so far and the possibilities for cooperation with EU, especially in terms of implementation of joint projects and the involvement of CEI in the drafting of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. The chairman of the meeting, Ambassador Kaluđerović, reiterated the readiness and decisiveness of our country to contribute in a fresh and unique manner to the fulfillment of CEI’s goals, to improve its efficacy and project base and to strengthen the cooperation with EU as the topmost priority.

The meetings also served as an opportunity to organize bilateral meetings of the Montenegrin representative with his counterparts from CEI and with the Secretary General Gerhard Pfanzelter, who offered a very positive assessment of Montenegro’s contribution to CEI so far and of its active participation in other regional processes.