High representatives of Parliaments and Governments from CEI Member States gathered in Rome at the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament on 5 July 2024 for the third and final meeting of the Convention for the Strengthening of the Central European Initiative.
The meeting was moderated by Senator Stefania Craxi, President of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, and Honourable Salvatore Caiata, President of the Italian Delegation to the CEI Parliamentary Dimension.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, delivered a message highlighting that “The CEI Parliamentary Dimension is an essential component of the CEI's identity. That’s why the support ensured by the Italian Parliament is of crucial importance. Strengthening the capacity of national institutions responsible for the European integration process, in particular national parliaments, is a strategic investment for the future. Italy feels a strong responsibility to provide its renewed and convinced contribution to the strengthening of the CEI”.
The participants resumed the debate on the three main directions followed in the reform path: enhancing the CEI political role; strengthening the CEI relations with EU institutions; reinforcing the CEI Secretariat. On this basis, they shared a reflection on possible ways for the CEI to address current and future challenges and enhance its role as a valuable political platform promoting regional cooperation in support of the process of EU integration and enlargement.
As a straightforward roadmap for future action, a set of Recommendations was endorsed on the basis of a shared political view among the countries. The Recommendations will eventually be presented to the structures of the CEI Governmental and Parliamentary Dimensions for further consideration. The feasibility of the proposed actions was also touched upon with reference to the existing CEI structures and mechanisms which have the potential to provide a solid basis for contributing to this effort.
The overall process - initiated on the occasion of the TRIESTE CEI PLATFORM held in Trieste on 12-13 October 2023, and then developed into three high-level meetings - confirmed the commitment of member countries to the CEI and highlighted the key relevance of effective cooperation among the Governmental and Parliamentary Dimensions to achieve the Organisation’s core mission, in coordination with the CEI-Executive Secretariat.
For more info: fabro@cei.int; arsova@cei.int
