Romania takes over the CEI presidency
Starting January 1, 2026, Romania is set to take over the presidency of the Central European Initiative
Roxana Vasile, 08.10.2025, 13:50
On January 1, 2026, Romania is expected to take over the presidency of the Central European Initiative (CEI), a regional cooperation format that brings together 9 European Union member states – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. They are joined by 7 other states that are not part of the EU bloc – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine. The structure’s operation is supported by a secretariat based in Trieste, Italy, led by a Secretary General, and its strategic objectives are to facilitate the creation of a united Europe, by establishing a space of convergence of fundamental values as widely as possible at the level of the continent, focusing cooperation on the transfer of expertise and strengthening the capacities of less developed member states.
According to a press release from Romania’s Foreign Ministry, during the informal ministerial meeting of the Central European Initiative, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Oana Ţoiu, confirmed Romania’s availability to take over the acting presidency of the Forum starting next year, according to the principle of rotation that regulates presidencies. Romania will succeed Serbia and will exercise this mandate until December 31, 2026. “The initiative reconfirms the priority interest given by Romania to regional cooperation, good neighborly relations and the European accession process of candidate states, both those in the Eastern neighborhood, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, and partners in the Western Balkans”, the release reads.
According to the Ministry, during the mandate, Romania aims to contribute to accelerating the European integration process of candidate states, to boosting regional cooperation with a focus on energy, transport and digital connectivity, to intensifying political dialogue between participants and economic cooperation. Also, Romania will seek to improve the resilience of the region in the current geopolitical context, marked by the intensification of hybrid threats and attacks. Romania has held the presidency of the Central European Initiative once before, in 2009, the year when the Forum celebrated its 20th anniversary. (VP)
