What is the Central European Initiative (CEI)?
The Central European Initiative (CEI) is an intergovernmental forum for regional cooperation in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. It sponsored, among many activities, the summer school the Europe and the Balkans network ran in Cervia and Faenza.
From Quadragonale to CEI
- 11 November 1989: Austria, Hungary, Italy and Yugoslavia create the "Quadragonale" in Budapest, two days after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- 1990: Czechoslovakia joins and the group becomes the Pentagonale.
- 1991: Poland joins: the Hexagonale.
- 1992: after former Yugoslav republics join, it takes the name Central European Initiative.
How it works
Day-to-day work, including developing and running projects, is handled by an executive secretariat in Trieste. Membership has changed over time (sources cite 17 or 18 member states at different dates, and Austria announced in 2018 that it would leave), so check the CEI's own site for the current list.