Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer is right on track to visiting the company's fastest-growing market worldwide from May 19 to May 23. According to the Redmond giant, Central and Eastern Europe outperforms even China in terms of growth, and in this context, Ballmer will head for five countries in the region. Starting this week, Ballmer will visit Hungary, then Ukraine on the 20th, Slovakia on the 21th, the Czech Republic on the 22nd and Russia, on May 23, 2008.

"I'm looking forward to meeting with government leaders, customers and partners, and leaders of some of the organizations we work with to promote access to digital technology and relevant IT skills and training. My goal is to discuss ways that Microsoft can support efforts to help people use technology to improve their lives and create sustainable growth and new economic opportunities. The trip is also a chance to catch up on the recent changes in the area and to experience the enormous progress the entire region has enjoyed in recent years," Ballmer stated.

Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer placed a great deal of importance on Central and Eastern Europe, indicating that the company is experiencing a stronger level of growth than in markets such as China and India. Ballmer explained the Redmond company's new found focus on the CEE as an indication that it is listening to forecasts predicting that the region will continue to be at the avant-garde of growth out of the world's economies for the next few years. Microsoft has opened over 23 subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe and 2,000 of its entire workforce is located here.

Ballmer added that there are a lot of resources driving opportunity but that "talent is first and foremost. Literacy rates are nearly 100 per cent across the region and the area's technical schools and universities are world-class. Increasingly, governments are also encouraging investment from overseas by creating attractive business environments. This concentration of talent combined with the growing recognition of the value of innovation and the opportunity to tap into the region's promising markets has made Central and Eastern Europe one of the world's most exciting areas for investment."