In an era defined by economic and industrial competition rather than ideological warfare, the success of the privatization process in Central Europe, Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltics is crucial for the regions' political and economic survival. Recognizing the need for a universally accessible and systematically assembled source of information, the authors have collaborated with carefully selected teams of researchers located in the countries concerned to collect this data for the first time. The analysis of privatization in each country includes an introduction to the economic environment, an account of the legal framework of economic activity, the present forms of ownership, an overview of the privatization programs, and a discussion of the initial transformations of enterprises. This volume provide an authoritative account of the privatization process which is the cornerstone of the current economic transformation. Volume 1 analyzes privatization in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.