The 12th annual summit, previously known as the Central European Initiative, has been bringing together leaders from the region with the aim of offering "the prospect of viewing matters concerning Europe from a multitude of different angles". Seven of the participating countries are already members of the EU, while the others are candidates or applicants.
The event, called by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, will focus on two main themes: the expansion of the European Union and the associated economic challenges.
The participating countries are: Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldavia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia and Slovenia. Ukraine was also invited, but President Viktor Yushchenko cancelled his trip to Zagreb.
The previous central European summit took place in Mamaia, Romania, on 27-28 May 2004.
