Central and Eastern Europe

Central and Eastern Europe or Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) is a geopolitical term encompassing the countries in Northeast Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe, usually meaning former communist states from the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact in Europe, as well as from former Yugoslavia. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also uses the term “Central and Eastern European Countries” (CEECs) for a group comprising some of these countries. This term is sometimes used as an alternative to the term “Eastern Europe,” excluding Russia for a more neutral grouping. The region is also defined as historically the area between three empires — the Holy Roman Empire or Austro-Hungary, German Empire and Russian Empire.