The Investment Compact for South East Europe Initiative was launched in 2000 aiming to improve the investment climate in the region, addressing the issues of legislative environment, competition, institutional strengthening and to encourage private sector development in the South East Europe.

It is designed to support the countries of the region with practical tools to increase investment, growth, employment and EU integration processes, through evaluation and monitoring of progress in investment reform, providing the support in its implementation, assisting in structuring the productive dialogue between the public and private sector and maintaining the necessary political support by holding the annual ministerial conferences focused on specific investment issues.

The Initiative

The work of the Initiative is based on two core areas - FDI policy and promotion and SME development, focusing on four dimensions:

• Monitoring and evaluation of Investment Reform Index 2006
• Support in implementation of reform developing How to guidelines for key policy priorities identified in IRI evaluations;
• Private sector support - encouraging public private dialogue through the private sector’s involvement in IC working groups, Regional Network of Foreign Investors Council and
• Political support through ministerial conferences focusing on specific subjects of interest of all.

The Initiative operates under the auspices of Stability Pact and OECD. The decision-making bodies are Investment Committee and an annual Ministerial Conference. The project management team (located in OECD Paris) provides the day-to-day management of the Initiative.

The IC members are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, UNMIK/Kosovo. Each member participates in the work programme through Country Economic Team headed by senior government official.

Co–Chairs of the Initiative

Ms. Jasna Matic, State Secretary for International Economic Relations, Ministry for Economy and Regional Development of Serbia
Phone: + 381 11 3617 583
E-mail: jasna.matic@merr.sr.gov.yu

Manfred Schekulin, Director, Federal Ministry of Economics and Labor, Austria
Tel.: +43 (1) 711 00 51 80
Fax: +43 (1) 715 96 51
E-mail: manfred.schekulin@bmwa.gv.at

Mr. Rainer Geiger, Deputy Director, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, OECD
Tel: +33 (1) 45.24.97.03
Fax: +33 (1) 45.24.91.51
E-mail: Rainer.Geiger@oecd.org

Links: www.investmentcompact.org

For further information,

please Contact:

Regional Cooperation Council