Slovenia takes over the chairmanship of the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) initiative in 2026

SLOVENIA, January 12 - The initiative’s first ministerial meeting took place in Austria in June 2012. Recognising that regional security is closely linked to the security of neighbouring regions, cooperation with partners from the Western Balkans (the so-called CEDC+ format) was also established in 2020.

The Central European Defence Cooperation Initiative provides a framework for cooperation in the field of defence and security, within which participants discuss, develop and implement common interests. The fundamental objective of the initiative is to contribute to strengthening regional security within the framework of the European Union and NATO by promoting the specific regional interests of member states. Cooperation focuses in particular on coordinating European Union policies, addressing common regional challenges and threats, implementing projects between armed forces, and strengthening capabilities. The initiative is fully committed to supporting the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union. One of the ways to achieve this goal is through enhanced cooperation between the member states of the initiative and their regional partners in the Western Balkans.

The work of the Central European Defence Cooperation Initiative is coordinated by the presiding country. The presidency lasts for one calendar year and includes meetings of defence ministers, defence policy directors and other operational meetings and events. In 2025, the initiative was chaired by Slovakia, and this year the presidency was taken over by the Republic of Slovenia. From January 1 to December 31, 2026, Slovenia will coordinate the work of the initiative. The presidency will be held under the slogan From Policy to Practice – Building a Stronger Central Europe, which emphasizes the transition from dialogue to joint action and capacity building. The presidency will take place at a time of increased interest among member states in enhanced regional cooperation, strengthening resilience, and synergy within the European Union.

The main objectives of Slovenia's Presidency are to strengthen regional security cooperation and exchange good practices, promote discussions on European defence initiatives and seek opportunities for joint cooperation between member states of the initiative, increase operational readiness, cooperating with partners from the Western Balkans, strengthening regional interoperability and resilience, supporting digital and cyber resilience, promoting defence industry cooperation and innovation, strengthening military cooperation, and establishing uniform defence and military terminology.

The Presidency program includes a combination of substantive, expert, and promotional events that complement and support the overall theme of "from policy to practice" among the member states of the initiative, wherever possible, as well as in cooperation with partners from the Western Balkans. The most important high-level events to be held during the Slovenian Presidency will be the meeting of defence ministers of the initiative's member states and the Western Balkans, meetings of defence policy directors, a meeting of armaments directors, and an informal meeting of chiefs of general staff. In addition, we will host numerous expert meetings in various fields, such as military recruitment, preservation and maintenance of military heritage, presentation of a case study on cyber theory and practice, as well as workshops on terminology and foreign language platforms. 

For the purposes of recognition and promotion of the identity of the Republic of Slovenia within the initiative and during the Presidency, a comprehensive graphic image of the Presidency has been designed, whose symbolic meaning combines the natural wealth of our country and its role as one of the parts of this initiative.