Sanader said that the CEI is an association which gathers both EU member-countries and countries aspiring to join the European bloc. He announced several bilateral meetings on the margins of the summit, adding that this would a good occasion to exchange opinions with his counterparts.
Before the summit, economy ministers of the 17 CEI members held a business forum on 23-24 November in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia which has been the chair of the association for the past year.
Croatian Economy Minister Branko Vukelic, who attended the Bratislava meeting, said he had presented reforms which Zagreb was carrying out in the economy and the judiciary as well as investment opportunities.
Vukelic also promoted the government's one-stop shop project.
The CEI is the oldest and largest initiative for regional cooperation, which was launched in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism. It was founded in 1989 by Austria, Hungary, Italy and the former Yugoslavia, and today it numbers 17 members. Croatia joined this regional forum in 1992.