Signed on 21 December 1992 in Krakow by the founding members of the Visegrád Group, the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) seeks to promote the harmonious development of trade between its signatory countries through the ‘intensification of mutually beneficial trade relations’ and to prepare, in the long term, for their accession to the European Union.

On 19 December 2006, in Bucharest, nine countries in south-east Europe and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo sign the agreement on the amendment of and accession to the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

On 19 December 2006, in Bucharest, after seven months of intense negotiations, nine countries of South-East Europe and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) sign the agreement on the amendment and enlargement of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

On 19 December 2006, in Bucharest, at the official signing of the agreement to amend and enlarge the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), Erhard Busek, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, welcomes the ability of the signatory countries to overcome their differences and praises their determination to build a prosperous future.

Map showing how the Central European Free Trade Agreement came into force in 1992 and its development up to 2015.