Western Investment in Central and Eastern Europe:

In the fall of 2007, the CSIS New European Democracies Project (NEDP) launched an initiative to focus on salient economic issues impacting the states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) entitled, “Western Investment in Central and Eastern Europe: Incentives, Constraints, Contexts.” The three-part meeting series addressed challenges facing Western investors in the region, including institutional incapacities, corruption, political volatility, social and regional disparities, and negative geo-strategic interests. As a new market of close to 100 million people, with a favorable geographic location and a highly educated workforce, the region has much to offer potential investors.

Between September 2007 and June 2008 CSIS held three high-level roundtables with the participation of regional analysts, scholars, and policymakers to generate ideas for increasing foreign investment, fostering self-sustaining economic development, and furthering international integration throughout the region. This report summarizes the key points generated by the project and includes recommendations for overcoming current challenges and improving the region’s investment climate.