Public–private partnerships in central and eastern Europe

Countries in central and eastern Europe are increasingly appreciating the potential of public–private partnerships (PPPs) for the rebuilding of their crumbling infrastructure. Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland have already implemented PPPs for some years, mostly in the transport sector, whereas states like Bulgaria, Romania and Russia have been slower in adopting them. While the need to modernise these countries’ public infrastructure should lead to an increase in the use of this alternative method of public procurement, a number of obstacles remain which need to be overcome by putting in place certain political and legislative measures.