(T203)
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) - The Metamorphosis of the Business Climate



The expansion of the European Community in May 2004 to include ten new members, primarily from Central and Eastern Europe, has been one of the most significant changes in European Union (EU) history. It has been the fifth and most important enlargement of the EU, adding approximately 75 million people to the Single Market. This region ranks among the top growing passenger market in the world, including countries such as Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, where the 2004–2008 passenger's average annual growth rate is approximately 10 percent. Though the CEE countries are considerably different in terms of culture and business development, they share a common bond. All operated under a communist-based centrally planned economy, and all continue to struggle while making the transition to a market economy. Today, the economies of CEE offer a low-cost, and in some cases, a low-tax environment, but the question of how they will evolve remains. A cross-section of experienced travel industry experts will outline the commercial and travel management challenges in CEE, and will describe the political and economic landscape of the region, the status of travel management disciplines among regional and multinational corporations based in the region, and special issues travellers face, from language barriers to safety threats.