MOLDOVA TO HOST CENTRAL EUROPEAN INITIATIVE HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING

CHISINAU, Moldova (November 26,2008) - Moldova is to host the summit of heads of governments of the Central European Initiative (CEI) on 28 November due to its holding the chairmanship of this organization starting from 1 January 2008.

Delegations from about 20 countries and representatives of different international and regional organisations are to participate in the summit. The summit's agenda includes discussions related to cooperation for Europe's future, the coordination of the CEI's activities within regional political priorities, the development of the CEI-EU dialogue.

The main objectives of Moldova's chairmanship were to carry out the CEI reform, adopted by the CEI heads of governments within the Sofia summit in 2007, to ease the transfer of experience between the EU member and non member states, to implement joint projects, to foster CEI cooperation with other regional bodies.

According tot he meeting's agenda, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin is to greet the participants in the opening of the summit.

The Central European Initiative was founded in 1989 as a forum of intergovernmental political, economic and cultural cooperation. At present, the CEI's main goal is to support the developing countries to join the EU.

Moldova became the 17th CEI member in 1996, during the summit in Graz, Austria. At present, the CEI has 18 member states: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary.
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