Transition has been a wrenching process for the labor markets of Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), and the prospect of joining the European Union gives rise to both hopes and misgivings among their population. Similarly among other member countries, a new resolve to shake off a...

The prospect of enlarging the European Union (EU) to Central and Eastern European countries with income levels far below those of present members, questions how, and when the candidates' aspiration to converge towards EU standards of living, could possibly by fulfilled. To address these...

The report discusses the set of public expenditure policies that might be conducive to rapid growth, and convergence among Central and Eastern European countries. It was left to others' complementary contributions, to discuss two other key dimensions of expenditure reforms: the overall...

On February 2, 2002, Lithuania switched its currency anchor from the dollar to the euro. While pegging to the dollar (since April 1994) has proven successful throughout the transition years, the recent decision to peg to the euro was motivated by the increasing trade relations with European...

The European Union (EU) stands out internationally as one of the regions of the world that has most explicitly and deliberately attempted to reduce regional disparities within its constituents. How effective this effort has been, and continues to be, is a matter of open debate. The current...