ABSTRACT
Integration into the European Union (EU) poses great challenges for the new member states in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) not only on the level of the sovereign state; also the municipalities have to support the process by means of suitable strategies. This includes creating a fruitful framework for the positive development of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Particularly in rural and structurally disadvantaged areas, these enterprises are the main economic drivers and are therefore the focal interest of regional development policy. The immediate economic, legal and societal environment in which SMEs are active thus deserves increased attention from politics and research alike.
