The Forum discussed concreate projects implemented in the CEI region, as well as ideas for the implementation of the new projects and their importance for connection of member states of this Initiative.

They emphasised that so far Montenegro has applied with a number of projects for the CEI funds, within its project activities, for whose implementation requested funds were approved, and with regard to that, they expressed pleasure that those funds were used. The total contribution of the CEI projects and activities in Montenegro is around four million euros, of which about 2.2 million euros were for regional projects including Montenegro, and 1.8 million directly related to Montenegro.

The gathering particularly emphasised the importance of CEI fund to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), founded by the Republic of Italy in 1992, which invested 41.5 million euros in the fund, with the aim of supporting projects of technical cooperation in numerous fields, including agro business, business and finances, energetics, institutional developments, municipal infrastructure and services, small and medium enterprises and transport.

Aside from the parliamentarians of the CEI member states, the participants of the meeting were addressed by Mr Roberto Marcato, member of the Veneto regional Government’s Development and Energy Department, Mr Ludovico Sonego, Head of the Italian Delegation of the CEI-PD, Mr Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri, Secretary General of the CEI.

The CEI is the oldest regional initiative in the Central and Southeast Europe region. It exists since 1989 and has 18 member states. Those are: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Ukraine.