  After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, Central Eastern European cities (CEEc)
integrated the globalized world, characterized by a core-periphery structure
and hierarchical interactions between cities. This article gives evidence of
the core-periphery effect on CEEc in 2013 in terms of differentiation of their
urban functions after 1989. We investigate the position of all CEEc in
transnational company networks in 2013. We examine the orientations of
ownership links between firms, the spatial patterns of these networks and the
specialization of firms in CEEc involved. The major contribution of this paper
consists in giving proof of a core-periphery structure within Central Eastern
Europe itself, but also of the diffusion of innovations theory as not only
large cities, but also medium-sized and small ones are part of the
multinational networks of firms. These findings provide significant insights
for the targeting of specific regional policies of the European Union.
