While initially the regional approach gave the United States the flexibility to respond quickly to varying needs across countries in a rapidly transforming environment, the program has matured. Nevertheless, some activities are appropriately funded regionally because several countries are benefitted. Activities of other U.S. agencies which receive funds through transfers from FSA accounts are in some cases applied regionally. Regional funds are requested to support special economic restructuring needs across the region.
More recent initiatives emphasize commercial law and anti-corruption concerns.
A pilot anti-corruption activity will also be carried out to assess ways to improve and make more transparent, legislative and business start up procedures to reduce corrupt practices that constrain business development and expansion. The Central Asian Republics and West NIS Enterprise funds continue to foster private sector development by providing investment capital to small and medium-scale businesses in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, respectively. An evaluation of NIS enterprise funds is planned to assess impact of the overall program in promoting private sector development in the region. This shift reflects growing evidence that environmental policy initiatives and reforms need to be fully integrated into the economic reform and restructuring process at an early point to ensure that the transition takes full account of long-term environmental costs and benefits in a market environment. The EPP will foster partnerships between U.S. and regional entities aimed at finding market solutions to environmental problems and promoting application of U.S.-based environmental expertise, best practices, goods and services as part of those solutions.