In this article, it is argued that the economic and political transformation in Central and Eastern European countries towards the end of the twentieth century towards a market economy were irreversible and path dependent. The author discusses the importance of this issue for the success of...

Two rounds of EU eastern enlargement will pose difficult economic and political adjustment problems. Based on recent analysis one also finds many opportunities for both the EU-15 and the accession countries which, however, face the negative spillovers from the Russian transition crisis. The...