Keen on ensuring a more definite contribution of education to their competitive standing, the countries of South Eastern Europe have signed up to a number of benchmarks which aim to promote more developed learning economies. Enshrined within the European Charter for Small Enterprise and the European Small Business Act, lifelong entrepreneurial learning stands apart as a specific area for development.

In 2007 the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Croatia took an initiative to establish structured co-operation amongst the countries of South Eastern Europe on lifelong entrepreneurial learning. At a meeting on 15 October 2008, governments of the region, with Turkey, agreed on the establishment the South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (SEECEL), with the Republic of Croatia as the host country.

With initial finance from the Croat government, SEECEL launched its activities in January 2009 with organisational support of the Croatian Chamber of Economy. As of July 2009, SEECEL functions as an independent body under the national legislation of the host country (Public Institution Act of the Republic of Croatia).

SEECEL is one of a kind in a relevant field and demonstrates how 8 countries have come together for the purposes of co-working developments in entrepreneurial learning. These countries are as follows (in alphabetical order):

• Albania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Croatia
• 'Kosovo*'
• Macedonia (the Former Yugoslav Republic)
• Montenegro
• Serbia
• Turkey.

SEECEL’s activities centre on a number of common areas identified through the 2008 assessment of each countries performance on the human capital areas of the European Charter for Small Enterprise. Four pillars will be addressed:

• Development of the entrepreneurship key competence (ISCED 2 level);
• Promotion of entrepreneurship at the third level education (ISCED 5/6 level) within non-business disciplines;
• Enterprise-driven training needs analysis;
• Dissemination and promotion of good policy and good practice.

In addition to the financing of the SEECEL allocated within the national budget of the Republic of Croatia, the bulk of the financial support for the SEECEL 2009-2011 Work Programme will be ensured by the European Commission within the framework of the Multi-beneficiary envelope of the IPA Programme.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of independence