In this paper we look at the similarity of trade structures in an integrating area. In particular, we analyse the export flows toward the EU market of four of the so-called "accession" countries of Central and Eastern Europe by comparing them to those of the pre-2004 members of the European...

The paper shows how - using as an example the trade flows between eleven European countries and 31 OECD 'reporting' countries - the result of a gravity model, in terms of potential trade, changes substantially when country heterogeneity and dynamics are taken into account. Comparing the...