Amb. Gerhard Pfanzelter, CEI Secretary General, and Amb. Elena Kirtcheva, Secretary General of the Vienna Economic Forum, signed today, at the CEI Headquarters in Trieste, a Memorandum of Understanding which paves the way for enhancing cooperation between the two organisations and developing joint activities.
The Vienna Economic Forum was founded in 2004 with the aim to promote investment opportunities in the region from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and Caspian Region. The main conference of Vienna Economic Forum takes place every year in November, gathering business representatives and decision makers from all around the world.
Considering the role played by the CEI in promoting economic development of the countries of the region, especially through the CEI partnership with the EBRD, the involvement of the CEI in the Forum is envisaged.
This year the Forum will be organized in Vienna on 18-19 November 2012. The CEI, with its well established intergovernmental structures, could complement the partnership of the Vienna Economic Forum, which mainly includes private sector representatives.
The two organisations also agreed to exchange information on economic developments in the region and update each other on activities in the economic field. Furthermore, they will nominate focal points in order to develop bilateral cooperation. Lastly, they will promote efforts to enhance their media relations, especially taking advantage of the cooperation among news agencies which the CEI is currently promoting.