How Far Is Eastern Europe from Brussels

Abstract

The current destination of Central and Eastern European countries -- explicitly for some, implicitly for all -- is Brussels. One simple measure, not without theoretical justification, is physical distance. This paper's focus, however, lies more in the distance in time and economic space. The paper fist compares income gaps between Central and Eastern Europe and European Union (EU) countries, then evaluates recent economic performance in Central and Eastern Europe in light of EU standards. Finally, it addresses the question of how long it will take the Central and Eastern European Countries to close the income gap with EU countries.