On 1 May 2004 eight former socialist countries - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia - joined the European Union. In the accession year the new EU member states have experienced powerful macroeconomic dynamics, and convergence of...

German exports suffered a sharp decline during the international economic and financial crisis. But recently a strong turnaround has taken place. Macroeconomic stimulus measures in numerous countries have likely contributed to this export recovery. Germany's manufacturers are at the forefront of...