Europe is most often the obvious first stop for U.S. companies expanding internationally. The United Kingdom and even more so The Netherlands offer excellent American-friendly stepping-off points, in which to base your business.

However, as much as Europe is viewed as the first point of expansion, it is too often thought to be an easy transition. The preponderance of fluent English speakers can lull you into feeling Europe is little more than a short hop from your domestic market. At Fortune 1, we agree the EU is a strong market and an obvious one, but cultural differences run deep, and doing business in Europe can be fraught with legal, logistics, and environmental issues. Like any international market Europe needs to be approached with an eye on details and a plan for closely managing your business.

Above and beyond the current EU, former soviet block countries such as Poland and Czech Republic, offer very interesting opportunities – big markets, growing economies, and government incentives; all with the promise of inclusion into the EU in the short term.