Visiting the Civic Institute (a political think tank) on the first day of our Czech study provided the opportunity to gain an overview of the internal economic and political climate of the Czech Republic, the other European countries, and their relationship to one another. The Civic Institute was founded in 1991 by a group of anti-communist dissidents. Their major focus has been on free market economics and classical liberalism. Presently, the Czech Republic is questioning their participation and timing of entry into the Euro. There surely are active discussions regarding this issue, although a member of the EU, the Czech Republic continues to use it's own currency.