About

Background

CEC was established by UK nationals in the early 1990s to serve the new international investor community in Central Europe following the collapse of communism. Today as CEC Group, we have wholly-owned offices in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary, as well as a trusted network of affiliates and consultants in Romania, Croatia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and beyond. We work at the local, national, regional and European level, and also have the capacity to offer affiliated services across the globe.

Our clients are almost exclusively US, European and Asian multinationals across a range of sectors, and we rarely undertake work for local or state-owned interests. We have always been active in the local Western diplomatic, business and cultural communities, as well as prominent in a number of national Chambers of Commerce throughout the region – and as a result we have established ourselves as the first port of call for our multinational clients’ public affairs requirements.

Over the years we have guided our clients through the complexities of the legislative process from the initial development of policy through to final parliamentary votes; advised them in highly-public and politicised procurements and tenders; and counselled them in privatizations, mergers and acquisitions. And as policy making becomes more complex, so we have successfully incorporated public relations, digital advocacy and regulatory advice into our product offerings.

We remain management-owned and fully independent, with our offices now employing almost 100 people across the region. We combine senior leadership with years of experience in the region alongside young, dynamic, and multilingual staff to service our clients’ political communication needs.

Results-oriented, reliable and highly experienced, our record and reputation in the countries of Central Europe places us at the forefront of our profession. If you require quality advocacy in this region and beyond, CEC is the right public affairs consultancy for you.

Expertise

Through decades of experience of working for demanding international clients, our knowledge of the industries, players and issues in the region is second to none. We have a particularly strong background in the fields of defence, energy, digital, pharmaceuticals, financial services and infrastructure – in fact any industry subject to regulatory and legislative oversight.

We strongly believe that successful public affairs campaigns need to be built around not personalities – who you “know” – but through intimate knowledge of the policy-making process and expert-level consultants immersed and experienced in your particular sector, also understanding the regulatory framework that affects your bottom line. That is why we have invested in recruiting the best policy experts in sectoral fields, to ensure that when we speak with you we do so as an equal, with a high level of professional expertise and experience alike.

Network

Within the CEC Group we have brought together the best public affairs service providers in Central Europe, operating either as CEC or as independent but closely allied agencies. Our partners in Romania, Croatia, Ukraine and the Baltics share our rigorous and professional approach towards our clients, and through years of experience of work with multinationals can be relied on to provide the best professional services for your needs.

Our independence has meant that over the years we have been able to form strategic relationships with a range of European public affairs companies and networks, with whom we work on both pan-European and bespoke projects beyond Central Europe. We are therefore well-versed in working seamlessly as part of broader cross-border teams to deliver results for our clients on cases that are EU, regional or ad hoc in nature.

A core focus for our clients is Brussels, where decision-making fundamentally impacts the future regulatory and legal environment in Central Europe – and when additional complexity comes through the web of relationships between the region on the one hand and the Commission and EU parliament on the other. We work with a range of Brussels-based public affairs companies as their partners in Central Europe, and are able in turn to recommend to our clients their services according to the particular case in question. These relationships also allow us to have the best possible access to information and intelligence from Brussels, to better drive our campaigns in Central Europe.

We also have our own informal network of partners in almost every country in the Americas, Africa and Asia, and at your request can put you in touch with the partner agency that best suits your needs in the most challenging markets, and if necessary, then work with them on common projects.

Compliance

Our work for US and UK companies means that we are subject to the requirements of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act, and we apply strict compliance principles to our own work and our relations with third-party suppliers. We also actively promote ethical business practices, transparency of decision-making and high standards for public affairs activities.

Our established reputation, as well as our relationships with local Western embassies and the expatriate business community, place upon us a responsibility that we are careful to respect and nurture. We are active locally in promoting ethical business practices, transparency of decision-making and high standards for lobbying. We have been publicly supportive of the need to regulate the local lobbying industries in Central Europe, and work to ensure that the relationship between business and politics is as open and transparent as it can be, with the responsibilities of reporting and regulation being shared equally by public affairs professionals and businesses alike.

We are open about who we represent when we approach decision-makers, and we insist our clients adhere to a similar commitment to transparency. We work to the principle that achieving results requires long-term patient engagement and professional communication, and not the deployment of any “quick-fix” solutions.

See below to download our compliance documents.