This contribution to the conference SVOC tried to inquire into what sort of state is there in ECE as a precondition to intervene into the Varieties of Capitalism research which is considered as neglecting the role of state in economy in general. In the context of dependent market economies in ECE (analysed mostly in firm-centric terms), this paper looked on the state in ECE as also dependent which is evidenced by, inter allia, the dependence on external capital from Structural Funds.