In this paper we look at business cycles similarities between CEE countries and the euro area. Particularly, we uncover GDP-inflation cycles by adopting a trend-cycle decomposition model which allows the trend to be either stochastic or deterministic i.e. of the non-linear type. Once cyclical...

The CIS countries' EU-related interests are very heterogeneous. The countries themselves differ not only in terms of their geopolitical and geo-economic situations, and how those affect their relations with the EU, but also in their levels of ambition in relation to the Union, as well as their...

This paper discusses the processes of nominal and real convergence and their dependence on exchange rate regimes adopted in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) in the context of their future EMU accession. We focus our argument on the possibility of trade-off between the pace of...

This paper summarizes the results of CASE's research project on 'Strategies for Joining the EMU' and proposes policy recommendations both for new member states (on how to manage their accession to the Eurozone) and for the European Commission, ECB and old member states (on how to manage and...

This paper aims to study the joint effects of the 2004 EU Enlargement and Russia's entry into the WTO, and the effects of an eventual Russia-Enlarged EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The paper is organized as follows: in Section I, it starts with the brief description of the model used. The...

The paper outlines the probable fiscal consequences of the accession process for the candidate countries and presents specific, fiscally sensitive aspects of acquis communautaire adoption. Apart from membership contribution fees, enlargement-related expenditures, never financed from the budget...

The paper analyses possible consequences of the EU enlargement on the EU - CIS-7 trade. It considers current situation in trade between two country groups, describes the factors limiting this trade, and discusses the opportunities for the trade associated with the EU accession of the Central and...

This paper estimates responses to monetary shocks for several of the current members of the EMU (in the pre-EMU sample) and for the Central and East European (CEE) countries, along with the mean response in each of the groups. The problem of the short sample, especially acute in the case of the...

The paper first considers why central European countries wish to join EMU soon. The main reasons are the risk of macroeconomic instability they face outside the euro zone if they wish to grow quickly. At the same time, Central Europe is highly integrated as regards trade with EMU, so it is...

In this paper we argue that, for a group of converging economies of the European Union, participation in the euro area has been associated with easier access to financing by domestic economic agents. Easier access to financing was a significant impulse leading to a sharp increase in households'...