Resistance of Cities Performing Command and Control Functions in Central and Eastern Europe to the Economic Crisis

The paper discusses the spatial distribution of the largest companies in Central and Eastern Europe that play a control and management role in cities. Their sales revenue and profits were used to determine the vulnerability of the control and management function to crisis in the main sector underpinning this function. The paper uses an indicator called "Economic Centre of Central and Eastern Europe" to examine this key issue. Research has shown that Warsaw, Prague, and Budapest are most immune to economic crisis in the dominant sector of their control and management function, which is driven in Central and Eastern European cities by the consumption, transportation, and production sectors. The spatial distribution of ECCEE index values is affected by the old 15 member states of the European Union and the former Soviet Union. Main ECCEE cities are located close to the old "EU 15" states. The largest number of ECCEE cities are located in countries that remained independent after World War II, although were strongly politically and economically affected by the Soviet Union. On the other hand, cities in former Soviet republics that are now independent states are less immune to crisis in their control and management function. At the same time, these countries are found relatively far away from the old 15 EU member states.