Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin wall, Eastern and Central Europe has traveled the full cycle: from the greatest success to the greatest liability. How sustainable is the success of Eastern European countries? What explains their uneven performance during the transition and integration years? Is “catching-up” to remain only a distant dream, after the economic crisis? Are the lines dividing the region to become permanent? What was the effect of EU integration for institutional building during transition in CEE countries? The papers in this issue address these topics in a historical and comparative manner.