The report summarises the results generated in empirical analysis within a larger EU's 5th framework programme for research and development on the determinants of productivity gaps between the current EU-15 and accession states in central and eastern Europe. The focus of research in this part of...

Back in the 1960s the EU accepted the idea of Turkish membership in a fit of absent-mindedness, not as part of a coherent strategy. EU leaders and their voters are mostly unenthusiastic about the idea of Turkey joining the EU, and many prominent politicians openly oppose it. Yet the EU has made...

The enlarged European Union will be surrounded, from Russia to Morocco, with states economically dependent on access to its markets, concerned about cross-border travel and trade, and anxious for their voices to be heard in EU negotiations. Since 1989, West European governments have successfully...

On 1 May 2004 the EU will enlarge to 25 member states. Member states are uncertain what they will gain or lose from enlargement and they are concerned about the implications for the functioning of the EU. Talk is even of enlargement as a u0093leap in the darku0094. The reports in this study deal...

The 2004 EU enlargement will most likely yield major benefits to the new member countries in the long run. The new members will be able to capture gains from trade in goods and services and will moreover benefit from a continued inflow of financial and real capital. Without doubt, these...

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Central and Eastern Europe declined from a record $31 billion in 2002 to a low of $21 billion last year, the result of the end of privatisation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, according to the World Investment Report 2004: The Shift Towards...

The paper states that economic growth is picking up in Turkey and the economy is on the road to recovery. It concludes that it is up to the Turkish policy makers to make sure that the countryu0092s economy will leave its grave problems behind and enjoy a bright future. Despite the recent...

The new member states should not expect EU money to lead to miracles. The most important ingredients of catch-up growth are a stable macroeconomic framework; supply-side policies that help markets to adjust quickly; and a well-trained, flexible workforce. EU aid will only make a positive...