The economic gap between the EU and three candidate countries - Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey - is significant. Living standards, as measured by GDP per capita at PPP, are less than one third of the level prevailing in the former EU-15 u0096 and about half of the average level in the new member...

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...

The volatility of general government tax revenues has increased in Poland in recent years. The correlation between GDP growth and revenue growth appears to be lower in Poland than in many other EU Member States, which suggests that the instability of its revenues has a different. This Country...

National fiscal frameworks can complement the EU budgetary surveillance procedure. Poland has traditionally had a debt rule, but it did not discourage governments from running high deficits. High expenditure (mainly on social benefits) has been identified as one of the main sources of large...

The main challenge that OCTs face consists in putting their economies and societies on a sustainable development path by increasing their competitiveness, reducing their vulnerability to external shocks, increasing environmental resilience, cooperating with their neighbours and, where possible,...

The 2005 update of the Danish convergence programme, covering the period up to 2010, was submitted to the Commission on 30 November 2005. The programme is based on the Budget Bill for 2006 adopted by Parliament on 14 December. The programme broadly follows the model structure for stability and...

This Regional Strategy Paper (RSP), the second for Mercosur, provides a strategic framework for EC cooperation with Mercosur for the period 2007-2013. The RSP has been prepared following a consultation process involving Mercosur member states and civil society actors. EC-Mercosur relations are...