The Association

The Central European Service for Cross-border Initiatives (CESCI) was established in 2009 in Hungary with the mission of improving the efficiency of cross-border cooperation for the sake of weakening the separating function of the borders in Central Europe, hereby strengthening mutual understanding and appreciation among the people living in the region.

The association is seated in Budapest, but it has three further headquarters in Esztergom, Novi Sad (Serbia) and Košiće (Slovakia). Recently 10 employees work at the association's work organisation in Budapest which is responsible for the association's administration, prepares strategic plans, takes part in programming processes, prints publications, generates projects and carries out activities in the area of institutional development. The European Institute of Cross-border Studies, established in 2013 in Esztergom is responsible for the research portfolio of CESCI with 3 employees.

The CESCI Balkans was established with 2 full-time employees in 2015 in Novi Sad for the sake of supporting cross-border cooperation in the Balkans and to facilitate Serbia's EU accession process and integration.

CESCI focuses in its initiatives on the concept of border and aims to create multidimensional relations between people living on each side of the border, and to help removing the barriers hindering cooperation between them. Not only in order to make the everyday life of people easier, but also in order to contribute into bringing a mutual understanding and rapprochement among the people living in Central Europe and in the Balkans.

CESCI creates cross-border strategic plans and programs, which serve as basis for concrete sustainable development. Moreover, it is CESCI's important mission to play certain intermediary role between local, national and EU level institutions in order to adopt provisions at upper levels, which are comprehensible and applicable also at local level and in the interests of local people.

Members of CESCI, as an open association of public utility are local and regional municipalities from Hungary, cross-border institutions (EGTCs), professional organisations and physical persons. The highest authority of the association of public utility is the General Assembly, while the Board is the managing and representative body of the organization. The working organization is led by the Secretary General.