Pre-Accession Transition Countries (PATCs) aim at early admittance to the monetary club. Their fiscal indicators – deficit and debt - do not show any serious symptoms. Closer scrutiny reveals, however, that the interest burden of their public debt might be underestimated, and that...

The EU-accession of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary in 2004 is more and more probable. Bulgaria and Romania may possibly enter in 2007. In order to later join the EMU, these countries have to meet the Maastricht Criteria. This paper reviews...

The paper takes into account both the concerns of the EU, arguing that convergence is incomplete, and the demands from accession countries, claiming that monetary integration is optimal. Indicators are developed which measure convergence and optimality in comparison with a reference group of the...

Eastward enlargement is one of the hot topics in European economics. The accession of central and eastern European Countries (CEEC) into the European Union (EU) is accompanied by an extension of the eurozone to this region. This paper surveys likely outcomes and challenges of this specific...

This paper first touches upon the definition and purpose of the Maastricht convergence criteria, and next analyses the rules, procedures, methodology and interpretation of meeting the Maastricht convergence criteria. It is shown how acceding countries presently fulfill the Maastricht convergence...

The EU15 countries’ real GDP per capita levels adjusted for purchasing power have converged in 1960-2001. Convergence has occurred in two spells, in 1960-73 and 1986-2001, with an interim period of stagnation. We analyse both σ and β convergence and discuss the impact of EU membership, trade...