Economic Integration, Similarity and Convergence in the EU and Ceecs Trade Structures

In this paper we look at similarity and convergence of trade patterns between the EU and four of the so-called "accession countries" of Central and Eastern Europe. We analyse the export patterns of the CEECs by comparing them to those of the current members of the EU. In particular, this paper focuses on countries' specialization as suppliers for the EU market. We evaluate the appropriateness of di®erent classes of similarity indices - correlation indexes and distance metrics - opting for the use of the Bray-Curtis semimetrics to assess changes in the trade structure. We examine the evolution of similarity over time - from 1989 to 2001 - considering both self-similarity (how the export structure of a EU member-to-be has changed with respect to the beginning of the transition process) and EU-similarity (if and how the export structure of a EU member-to-be has changed with respect to the EU export structure). Keywords: EU, CEECs, Transition, Similarity, Distance