This article examines the rise of the ‘project class’ in Central and Eastern Europe, linking it to the emerging rural development agenda, driven principally by the demands of EU accession. The emphasis on ‘projects’ in rural development, the demand for local expertise and the mobilisation of social capital are, it is argued, contributing to a restructuring of local power and the emergence of a new ‘project class’. Drawing upon fieldwork in Hungary and the Czech Republic, this article considers the phenomenon and its potential impact within rural social formations.