Political risk coverage shores up bets in Europe's "Wild East."

Before your company decides to stake a claim in Europe's "Wild, Wild East," risk managers must investigate the risks and regulations which vary from country to country. Whether you plan to export or build, you'll want to consider political risk coverage.

Ed Mattix, executive director of business development of US WEST International in London, says the major difference between Eastern Europe and other locations is political risk--government instability and the prospect that businesses will be taken over by the government.

"We're less concerned than we were at first," he notes. "The governments there have shown their commitment to a market-based economy. They're privatizing business right and left, especially in the communications industry."

US WEST has development offices in Budapest and Moscow, and joint ventures in Hungary, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Lithuania. The joint ventures reduce political risk, …