2007 Annual Report - Center for International Private Enterprise

The Regional Institute forOrganization Management inRomania congratulates its firstgroup of graduates.Central andEastern EuropeIn Central and Eastern Europe, the significant progress of democratic and marketorientedreform is apparent as many countries prepare for accession to the European Union.With Romania and Bulgaria newly incorporated into the EU, CIPE turned its focus in2007 to the Balkans. The key challenge for the region is to maintain a path of internalizingdemocratic values and building market economies. While elections have been generallyfree and the media uncensored, special interest groups still tend to dominate the politicalprocess, and barriers to doing business remain significant. For democracy to take root in theregion, the business community must adopt the principles of transparency, accountability,and good governance, becoming a leading advocate for market-oriented reform. CIPEcooperates with local partners to strengthen the capacity of the business community toplay a constructive role in the reform process and in public-private partnerships. Buildingon CIPE Romania’s experience, CIPE is raising public support for crucial reforms throughgrassroots campaigns based on the benefits of free market democracy.These featured programs demonstrate just some of the impact CIPEhas had in Central and Eastern Europe.For a full list, please see page 23.18