Twenty presidents from central, eastern and southeastern Europe are expected at the 18th Central European Summit.

The event will open in the evening with a concert at the Slovak Philharmonic, to be preceded by an address by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.

An informal meeting over breakfast on Thursday will discuss the role of new member states in the efforts to restart economic growth in the EU and to bring the EU closer to the citizens.

The following plenary will focus on issues related to Europe's post-crisis recovery, initiatives to secure lasting economic growth and measures to avoid potential new crises.

On the sidelines of the summit, Pahor is scheduled to meet his Slovakian counterpart Ivan Gašparovič, as well as Miloš Zeman of the Czech Republic and Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland.

A brief introductory meeting with Montenegrin President Filip Vujanović is also planned, and possibly a meeting with Bulgaria's Rosen Plevneliev.