CEI National Coordinators, EBRD Board Directors from CEI constituencies as well as other representatives from the EBRD and the two CEI Secretariats have recently gathered at the EBRD headquarters in London on the occasion of the CEI Steering Committee.
The meeting confirmed the importance of maintaining strong ties with the EBRD and initiated a debate on a future collaboration between the two institutions. The Secretariat for CEI Projects presented its Annual Report 2009 and obtained the Committee's approval for its budget 2010. The meeting was also an opportunity to get an insight into CEI's support to the EBRD's Technical Cooperation as well as to discuss the economic situation and recovery perspectives across the CEI region.The most awaited discussions took place on a non-paper submitted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the future of the CEI Trust Fund at the EBRD: Italy, which has been financing the Trust Fund for over 18 years with EUR 32.5 million, would welcome contributions from other CEI Member States in order to expand the activities of the Fund. In this context, the Steering Committee started consultations on bringing new donors to the Fund and on a possible re-shaping of the Fund's priorities. For more information: dovier@cei-es.org