Within the Governmental Dimension, the CEI Summit is one of the most significant bodies, gathering the Heads of Government of the seventeen CEI Member States.
It is usually convened in autumn in the country holding the CEI Presidency and takes decisions on:
- political and economic orientation for cooperation within the framework of the Initiative, including the adoption of the Plan of Action;
- principles and objectives of the CEI;
- amendments to the CEI Guidelines and Rules of Procedure;
- membership (admission, suspension).
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs Meeting (MFA Meeting), convened once a year in spring, is chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country holding the CEI Presidency. The MFAs take decisions on:
- political cooperation;
- participation in CEI activities;
- organisational structure, areas and ways of cooperation;
- matters concerning the establishment and the operational structure of the working bodies;
- annual contributions, annual budget and scale of contributions of the CEI Cooperation Fund;
- appointment and recall of CEI-ES' Secretary General, Deputy Secretaries General;
- approval of the Annual Report of the CEI-ES Secretary General.
The Committee of National Coordinators (CNC) is the key body responsible for the definition, coordination, management and implementation of CEI cooperation as well as for the implementation of CEI programmes and projects through appropriate structures. The CNC meets frequently in order to discuss and coordinate cooperation within the various bodies of the CEI as well as in relation with other international and regional organisations.
The CNC, assisted by the CEI Secretariat, prepares the documents to be approved by the CEI Summit or by the MFA Meeting.
The Chairmanship of the CEI (CEI Presidency) rotates annually at the beginning of the calendar years. It convenes the meetings of the above-mentioned structures. The current Presidency is held by Albania.