Two seemingly unconnected empirical results suggest an intriguing mechanism. First, economic integration helps harmonize prices internationally, with trade being the primary channel (Rogoff 1996, Goldberg and Knetter 1997). Second, monetary union may greatly increase the amount of trade among...

On 1 May 2004, ten countries became members of the European Union. The addition of Cyprus, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovenia brings the total number of Member States to 25. Although the EU has successfully integrated new countries on...

The ECB has an obligation to provide statistical information of the highest quality to the public and this third edition of the publication u0093Bond markets and long-term interest rates in non-euro area Member States of the European Union and in accession countriesu0094 serves to contribute to...

Enlargement will provide major impulses for economic integration and new possibilities for the division of labour in the enlarged EU will offer additional opportunities for growth. At the same time, ensuring a more or less uniform regulatory framework in a single market comprising 25 or more...

The paper studies the incentives to join a monetary union, and the incentives to reform within a monetary union and within the candidate countries, respectively. It presents some "orders of magnitude" evidence on the size and balance of the incentive effects for joining and being a member, and...

The paper concludes that accession to the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is firmly in the interest of the central and eastern European countries. However, from the perspective of incumbent EMU membersu0092 interests, one cannot avoid the conclusion that the arguments are more finely balanced....

Are there indications of real exchange rate misalignment in the case of the five pre- accession countries? Will stable real exchange rates, required by two of the Maastricht criteria, be in line with economic fundamentals in the pre-Economic and monetary union period in these countries? In order...

The ECB Working Paper Series seeks to disseminate economic research on issues that are relevant to the various tasks and functions of the ECB. The Series invites submissions of research work by ECB staff and visitors. Papers by researchers not affiliated with the ECB may also be considered for...

Bericht des Europäischen Amtes für Betrugsbekämpfung für das Jahr 2003.