​The annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the seven CEPA Member States took place from 2 to 5 November 2016. Purpose of this meeting was the preparation of the upcoming events and activities of the CEPA in 2017. This meeting was organized by the Swiss Border Guards in Stein/Rhine, where the delegates could enjoy the beautiful landscape and the warm hospitality of their hosts. The Board of Trustees of the CEPA is the operative forum, in charge of the implementation of the strategic guidelines as decided by the CEPA Board of Directors.

The day before the meeting took place an excursion was made to the historic city of Stein, specifically to the Town Hall, where the major of the city welcomed the high-ranking officials. 

On the agenda there was a very tight work programme, in order to plan and harmonize the activities foreseen for 2017. The Board of Trustees decided upon the contents and the numbers of seminars and all other trainings scheduled for this year. Furthermore, the Board of Trustees was tasked with the implementation of the strategic guidelines as issued by the Board of Directors. Thus, the topics of the Course Leaders' Conferences for the respective CEPA-Courses and the editorial requirements of the Website of the CEPA  (www.mepa.net) were discussed.

In the course of this meeting the activities of 2016 were evaluated on the basis of reports and experiences made and the planning for 2017 worked out accordingly.

In 2017 there will be 8 CEPA Seminars offered, dealing with specific topics, linked to cross-border issues, such as migration. The CEPA Main Course and the CEPA Special Course 2017 will also be held in accordance with the CEPA Catalogue of Activities. Furthermore, the opportunity of work shadowing will be made available as well in 2017.