The Central European Initiative (CEI) was granted an observer status with the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) and the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) following its request of 6 May 2024 addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The CEI will take part in the statutory meetings of the Youth Sector of the Council of Europe (21-23 October 2024) for the first time in this new capacity.
The CEI is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin wall. It gathers 17 Member States (Belarus suspended) in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. It supports a united Europe with shared values embracing all countries, regions, peoples and citizens; and fosters the strengthening of capacities of its member States towards good governance, rule of law and sustainable economic development for stability, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, security and prosperity.
Article 8 of Resolution CM/Res(2021)3 on intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies, their terms of reference and working methods allows steering or ad hoc committees to benefit from the participation of other organisations as observers. The criteria commonly considered at a committee level to grant observer status are:
- in-depth experience in the areas of competence of the committee in question;
- ability to make an effective and high-quality contribution to its activities;
- broad representative character of the concerned organisation.
