Managing Regional Development in CEE Countries - the Example of Initiative 16+1

Initiative 16+1 brings together 16 Central and Eastern European countries and China (CEEC) in a single project that aims to improve bilateral economic relations between China and those countries and the relations among CEE countries. This paper discuss the initiative as a good example of improvement in regional development and relations. The paper discusses the regional projects under the initiative from two different perspectives. Firstly, we discuss the regional projects that are or will be implemented in CEEC. The hypothesis is that with further strengthening of this initiative, regional development in CEEC will be improved. The methodology used in this part of the paper involves the use of available public data collected from reference papers and public sources. Secondly, we consider Serbia’s position in this initiative. The hypothesis here is that through this initiative and regional projects, Serbia will improve its regional economic position. For this purpose, data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia are used. The authors analyse exports and imports between Serbia and other CEEC countries, before and during the initiative. The authors conclude that after six years we can already witness better regional development within the region, and Serbia is also improving its economic position due to the benefits of this initiative.