The summit, which is held for the first time in Croatia, will pool presidents from 17 Central European countries - Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldavia, Germany, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Delegations numbering several hundred members are expected to attend as well.
The traditional meeting of presidents from EU member-countries, potential candidates and from the European neighbourhood is expected to discuss the completion of the process of European unification and the appropriate economic-social model for Europe.
Along with the Zagreb Summit of 2000, this year's summit of presidents from Central Europe will be the biggest meeting of heads of state held in Croatia so far.
The first Central European summit was held in the Czech Republic in 1994 and was attended by the presidents of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Croatia joined the meetings as the 12th country at the summit in Hungary in 2000.
The country was represented by President Stjepan Mesic, who was elected president only two months before.
Although since the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria the summit no longer covers only Central European countries, but one-third of the continent, it has kept its original official name and it has a much more official character today than it did initially.
Last year's summit was held in the Romanian Black Sea resort of Mamaia.