This paper deals with the narrowing the income gap between the Central and East European New Member States (NMS-5) and the EU-25 and with the trade-off between the real and nominal convergence. The methodology is based on international standards enabling comparisons of macroeconomic indicators,...

This paper focuses on two apparent puzzles for the Italian economy: i) How can an extremely poor performance in productivity growth be compatible with strong employment growth?; and ii) How can a sharp decline in competitiveness come along with higher export prices and a general situation for...

In order to test the idea that the deterioration of the Portuguese export shares in the period 1995-2004 was due to the unfavourable evolution of the unit labour costs (ULC), the import structure of Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom (representing about 70% of the Portuguese exports)...

In this paper we show that higher flexibility, measured by lower wage and price mark-ups leads to reduced inflationary pressures, increase in competitiveness, and higher output. A rational expectation and a learning version of the ECB’s New Multi-Country Model are used to understand plausible...

The Euro Plus Pact was approved by 23 EU countries in March 2011. The Pact stipulates a range of quantitative targets meant to strengthen competitiveness and convergence with the ultimate aim of preventing unsustainable financial imbalances from accumulating. This paper uses Granger causality...

Abstract This paper analyses developments in production structures in pre-crisis and during the crisis years in the range of EU ‘peripheral economies’ (i.e. the lower- and medium-income economies in the South and the Centre/East). The emphasis is on the development of the tradable sector...

This study compares French and German manufacturing price levels in 2007 and investigates in both countries over the 1991-2010 period value added price growth rates in manufacturing and services. Using the ICOP methodology and the data from the Eurostat production surveys, we calculate...

This paper discusses the endeavours of policy makers to come to some degree of wage coordination among EU countries, aiming at aligning wage growth with labour productivity growth at the national levels. In this context, we analyse the wage and productivity developments in Germany, the European...

The Euro Plus Pact was approved by 23 EU countries in March 2011. The Pact stipulates a range of quantitative targets meant to strengthen competitiveness and convergence with the ultimate aim of preventing the accumulation of unsustainable financial imbalances. This paper uses Granger causality...

A few reflections on fiscal and monetary policy in the euro area (by J. Pöschl; pp. 1-3) Keywords fiscal policy, monetary policy, euro area Countries covered EU Topics Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy; International Trade, Competitiveness and FDI Unit labour costs, exchange rates and responses...