The current accounts of most EU member states in central and eastern Europe have been showing growing deficits in recent years. According to panel estimates the deficits can be attributed primarily to factors characteristic for the stage of development, ie the relative income level and high...

We discuss past performance and future challenges for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). We highlight the successful convergence process of those countries, not least thanks to their integration into European and global value chains. As the external environment changes, so...

Despite the significant academic interest in the economic cohesion, the various aspects of convergence and the ways they can be measured still remain theoretically unclear. These are issues of extreme political significance, especially for countries aspiring for EU and euro area membership. The...

Auf der Tagung des Europäischen Rates in Kopenhagen wurde der Beschluss gefasst, die EU nach Osten hin zu öffnen und assoziierte Länder Mittel- und Osteuropas sowie Malta und Zypern in eine erweiterte Gemeinschaft aufzunehmen. Der Beitritt zur EU wurde dabei von der Erfüllung politischer,...