Chapter 2 analyses the reform processes in Central Europe since the onset of the transition in 1989, focusing on two contrasting cases: Estonia and Bulgaria. It addresses the following core questions: “What were the main differences in the reform developments between the two countries?”, “Which reforms were visible, and which were not?”, and “What factors seem to be important for making reforms successful?” By 2024, Estonia had achieved high rankings in international assessments, while Bulgaria lagged significantly. Several preliminary conclusions are outlined regarding the nature and timing of reforms under adverse conditions. These include dilemmas surrounding how to initiate and implement reforms, the observation that the initial conditions at the start of the transition made little difference to the eventual success of reforms, the problem of frequent reversals of previous governments’ policies, issues of reputation, uncertainty, opportunities, implementation capacity, and the development of the civil service.