The purpose of organizing this conference is to discuss the achievements so far in free trade between CEFTA member countries, future challenges in the implementation of this agreement, steps to be taken to facilitate trade and transport, expectations in regional cooperation etc. 

Special panels were also organized to discuss issues related to public-private dialogue, the role of private business participation in the development of economic sectors, tourism and the role of this sector as a mechanism to promote economic development.

CEFTA BENEFITS FOR THE REGION

Regional Economic Cooperation through CEFTA brought benefits to all parties: (i) CEFTA is the best way to mobilize economic tools to achieve political and economic stabilization of all countries in the region; (ii) CEFTA is a powerful economic tool for the economic recovery of participating countries. Regional trade has proven to be more resilient to the economic crisis than trade with the EU. The decline in regional trade flows was lower, while the recovery came faster. Moreover, only a market that functions as CEFTA can increase the competitive advantage of the region as a whole to attract FDI, (iii) CEFTA represents an excellent training ground for successful future participation in the EU market.