Eastern Enlargement Of EU Research Articles

In Croatia’s slipstream or on an alternative road? Assessing the objective case for the remaining Western Balkan states acceding into the EU

Since the ‘mega-enlargement’ of the European Union into the erstwhile communist territories of Eastern Central Europe and the Baltics in 2004/2007, the prospect for further EU enlargement(s) has seriously dissipated. Terms such as ‘enlargement fatigue’ and ‘absorption capacity’ have become en vogue in the post-2007 enlargement setting where older EU member states have developed negative attitudes towards future enlargements. However, the accession of Croatia into the EU in 2013 has inevitably raised questions of which states or regions could be next. This paper contends that due to a multitude of issues surrounding Turkey, particularly the political impasse within the EU towards Turkish accession coupled with its sheer size, only the smaller states of the Western Balkans represent viable candidates (Iceland’s accession prospects have stalled significantly due to internal pressures). This paper argues that the limits of EU eastern enlargement are set by both prevailing (subjectively defined) political attitudes founded on various grounds in the leading EU member states and by the rationally defined objective capacity of the EU’s institutions to absorb potential new member states. It is through the latter, and in comparison to the three most recent accession states - Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia – which this paper attempts to assess the objective potential of the remaining Western Balkan states to accede into the EU in the near future.

Business cycles in EU new member states: How and why are they different?

This paper uses the business cycle accounting framework to investigate the differences between economic fluctuations in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and the euro area. We decompose output movements into the contributions of four economic wedges, affecting the production technology, the agents’ intra- and intertemporal choices, and the aggregate resource constraint. We next analyze the observed cross-country differences in business cycles with respect to these four identified wedges. Our results indicate that business cycles in the CEE countries do differ from those observed in the euro area, even though substantial convergence has been achieved after the eastern EU enlargement. The major differences concern the importance of the intra- and intertemporal wedges, which account for a larger proportion of output fluctuations in the CEE region and also exhibit relatively little comovement with their euro area counterparts.

Business Cycles in EU New Member States: How and Why are They Different?

This paper uses the business cycle accounting framework to investigate the differences between economic fluctuations in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and the euro area. We decompose output movements into the contributions of four economic wedges, affecting the production technology, the agents’ intra- and intertemporal choices, and the aggregate resource constraint. We next analyze the observed cross-country differences in business cycles with respect to these four identified wedges. Our results indicate that business cycles in the CEE countries do differ from those observed in the euro area, even though substantial convergence has been achieved after the eastern EU enlargement. The major differences concern the importance of the intra- and intertemporal wedges, which account for a larger proportion of output fluctuations in the CEE region and also exhibit relatively little comovement with their euro area counterparts.

Implications of EU Enlargement for India-EU Labour Mobility Competition, Challenges and Opportunities

1st May, 2004 marked the fifth and the largest European Union enlargement, with accessions given to 10 countries, out of which eight were Eastern European. Following this, another round of enlargement took place in 2007, which provided Bulgaria and Romania the EU member status. Introduction of these new States to the EU opened up a whole new debate about labour migration and policies. While the older EU countries (EU-15) consider these New Member States (NMS) as a pool of cheap resources, with the advantage of proximity, it has created skepticism among the Indian migrants, one of the largest migrant groups from the Asian Continent to the EU, about competition and displacement by these newer migrants. This paper tries to address this issue, whether the eastern enlargement of EU will pose competition and threat to the Indian migrants to the EU or would it provide the Indian migrants newer opportunities both in the older EU countries as well as in the NMS. The paper examines the changes in the trend and the pattern of migration from India and from the NMS pre- and post-enlargement. It observes these changes at a sectoral level and also the changes in the profile of the migrants and tries to understand whether these newly added members are posing threat to the Indian migrants in the EU. The data suggests that the migrants from the NMS are gradually increasing in number in the traditional EU destinations, thus posing competition to the Indian migrants, but, a deeper analysis shows that there are other potential sectors within the older EU countries which can be explored by the Indian migrants. Moreover, with changes in the labour market conditions in the NMS, they are gradually becoming attractive to the Indian migrants. The need is thus to have certain Government policy initiatives for the Indian migrants to explore these potential sectors.

The macroeconomic consequences of migration diversion: Evidence for Germany and the UK

This paper examines the macroeconomic consequences of the diversion of migration flows away from Germany towards the UK in the course of the EU's Eastern Enlargement. The EU has agreed transitional periods for the free movement of workers with the new member states from Central and Eastern Europe. The selective application of migration restrictions during the transitional periods has resulted in a reversal of the pre-enlargement allocation of migration flows from the new member states across the EU. Based on a forecast of the migration potential under the conditions of free movement and of the transitional arrangements, we employ a CGE model with imperfect labour markets to analyse the macroeconomic effects of this diversion process. We find that EU Eastern enlargement has increased in the GDP per capita in the UK substantially, but that the diversion of migration flows towards the UK has reduced wage gains and the decline in unemployment there. The effects of the EU Eastern enlargement are less favourable for Germany, but the diversion of migration flows has protected workers there against a detrimental impact on wages and unemployment.

Europe united? The impact of the EU's eastern enlargement, five years on

The ‘eastern enlargement’ of the European Union in 2004 and 2007 marked the unification of Western and Eastern Europe, yet many scholars feared negative consequences of enlargement—both for the institutions of the EU, which were expected to encounter gridlock in a Union of 27, and possibly for the new members themselves as the end of ‘conditionality’ might lead to backsliding on political or economic reforms. Despite these concerns, a growing body of EU scholarship has begun to explore both questions, and the results give substantial grounds for optimism. EU institutions have proven remarkably adaptable in the face of enlargement, while the new member states show little or no signs of backsliding, remaining committed to democracy, the rule of law and free markets.

EU Enlargement: Benefits of the Single Market Expansion for Current and New Member States

This paper evaluates the implications of Eastern EU enlargement with the use of a computable general equilibrium model. The focus is on accession to the Single Market, with explicit modelling of the removal of border costs and costs of producing to different national standards. The results indicate significant welfare gains for the CEECs (volume of GDP increases by 1.4-2.4%) and modest gains for the EU. The steady state scenarios, which allow for the capital stock adjustment in response to higher return to capital, more than double the static welfare gains.

Preface: The European Union's 2007 Enlargement

Bulgaria and Romania have often been described as the ‘laggards’ of the EU's eastern enlargement. From their applications for EU membership in 1995 to their eventual accession in 2007, the two coun...

Policies, institutions and time: how the European Commission managed the temporal challenge of eastern enlargement

This article examines the relation between policies, institutions and time by addressing the case of eastern enlargement policy and the European Commission. Our main question is how the special challenges and requirements of EU eastern enlargement policy impacted on the administrative level of the Commission, i.e. the level in charge of structuring, monitoring and steering the policy's implementation. We provide empirical data on institutional change in the Commission from the mid-1990s until 2004 and examine temporal categories at both the policy level and the institutional level. This analysis shows that – especially the temporal – requirements of enlargement policy drove the Commission to adapt its internal organization and time management; internal structures and procedures changed; actors were bound in a temporal grid. This allowed the mobilization of the actors and the in-time synchronization of their input. On the whole, our results open a new perspective on institutional change and time in the context of European governance.

Přístup Německa k rozšíření Evropské unie o Polsko a Českou republiku

Geopoliticka hranice, ktera rozdělovala Evropu, znemožňovala, aby Německo na jedne straně a Polsko, resp. Ceskoslovensko na straně druhe využily potencialu vzajemných vztahů. Zasadni změna nastala po skonceni studene valky, kdy se obě strany dohodly a zacaly realizovat řadu dvoustranných i mnohostranných smluv a forem spoluprace, což vyvrcholilo v roce 2004 východnim rozsiřenim EU. Tato stať se zabýva německým přistupem k Polsku a dnesni Ceske republice na dvoustranne i mnohostranne urovni před a během přistupoveho procesu, a to z politickeho i ekonomickeho pohledu. Nastin vztahů je založen na zkoumani zakladnich politických dokumentů a jejich nasledných praktických efektů. Zakladem rozboru německeho přistupu se stala charakteristika bilateralnich vztahů Spolkove republiky Německo a obou středoevropských zemi, německých motivů pro rozsiřeni EU, jakož i rozdilů v přistupu k jednotlivým zemim.

EU EASTERN ENLARGEMENT AND THE CONFIGURATION OF GERMAN‐POLISH INTER‐FIRM LINKAGES

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the spatial configuration of German‐Polish inter‐firm linkages based on foreign direct investment. The analysis highlights that most of the German‐Polish inter‐firm linkages are based in West German economic centres, so that East Germany and particularly the Eastern border regions are facing the threat of falling behind those economic regions which take advantage of the chances offered by EU Eastern enlargement. However, within East Germany the region of Berlin‐Brandenburg proves to be the strongest centre of advanced economic linkages to Poland. In comparison to the West German metropolitan regions, Berlin‐Brandenburg firms with direct investment in Poland are characterised by a qualitatively advanced profile of activity branches, in which the technology‐centred and R&D‐intensive industrial branches as well as the highly qualified producer services have a dominant share. The region thus has a potential to become a centre of competence in German‐Polish economic relations.

Hungary and the European Union: The political implications of societal security promotion

Hungary's constitutional commitment to support kin-nationals beyond its borders (nation policy) has been a central feature of its post-1989 foreign policy and highlights a particularly important national security concern—the societal security of national identity, culture, language and tradition. This article examines Hungary's societal security concerns and the policy methods it utilises, including its EU membership and the promotion of minority rights at the European level, to help combat these concerns. It is suggested that Hungary has found it somewhat difficult to balance its societal security policy objective with internal economic demands on its welfare system and its external foreign policy objective to maintain good neighbourly relations. This article also notes that Hungary's attempts to Europeanise, or rather ‘EU-ise’, minority and ethnic rights issues as a means to enhance societal security for the Hungarian nation has certain political consequences for the EU. This suggests that societal security provision is an issue that cannot be overlooked when trying to understand the longer-term implications of EU eastern enlargement.

Setting EU Eastern Enlargement Policy: Spain's Preferences for an Inclusive Process

After the European Union's (EU's) history-making decision to enlarge eastwards, other policy-setting decisions had to be taken, especially concerning when and under what conditions each candidate should join. This article offers a case study of the Enlargement policy of successive Spanish governments, socialist and conservative, during the period 1992–99. It demonstrates that Spanish government representatives defined state preferences in accordance with the EU's normative framework and reshaped them in the discursive process leading to a final agreement. It suggests that Spanish government preferences within the EU should not be considered exogenous to the interaction process and the EU collective identity.

EU eastern enlargement and foreign investment: Implications from a neoclassical growth model

In this paper, we study how eastward enlargement of the EU may affect the economies of old and new EU members and non-accession countries in the context of a multi-country neoclassical growth model where foreign investment is subject to border costs. We assume that at the moment of the EU enlargement border costs between the old and new EU member states are eliminated but remain unchanged between the old EU member states and the non-accession countries. In a calibrated version of the model, the short-run effects of the EU enlargement proved to be relatively small for all the economies considered. The long-run effects are however significant: in the accession countries, investors from the old EU member states become permanent owners of about 3/4 of capital, while in the non-accession countries, they are forced out of business by local producers. Journal of Comparative Economics 36 (2) (2008) 307–325.

Globalization and why the ‘time is ripe’ for the transformation of German industrial relations

ABSTRACT Recent scholarship on globalization and industrial relations supports the full gamut of possibilities: that globalization constrains, strengthens, or has nothing to do with industrialized-country bargaining institutions and outcomes. But most empirical work focuses on direct connections between outcomes and trade and/or direct investment flows, thus discounting the role of threatened exit and competition, or of indirect links involving employers and employer organization and strategy. This paper studies the 2003 campaign for the East–West equalization of conditions in the German metal industry, and finds that globalization has affected the bargaining outcome much more than standard accounts suggest. First, the Eastern EU-enlargement—an element of globalization—created a ‘now or never’ atmosphere that helped to spark the union's initiative. Employers' vehement opposition was frequently clothed in concerns about labor costs, emphasizing losses in international competitiveness and/or jobs to low-wage countries. And employers exercised frequent exit threats that were instrumental in splitting workforces by inducing fears and in instilling an anti-union mood. Finally, the bargaining round inspired large firms to question the central bargaining institution, thereby subordinating social peace to the goal of defeating IG Metall. This and subsequent developments in West Germany point to a transformation of German industrial relations as a partial consequence of economic globalization.

Constructing the path to eastern enlargement: the uneven policy impact of EU identity

Part I: Analytical framework 1. Introduction: the puzzle(s) of the EU's eastern enlargement 2. Constructing the EU's collective identity vis-a-vis the CEECs 3. Conceptualising the impact of EU identity on the enlargement policy Part II: The macro-policy 4. Setting the path to eastern enlargement: from initial reluctance to endorsement of the accession perspective 5. Following the path to eastern enlargement: from the general principle of membership to accession Part III: Meso-policies 6. Liberalisation of steel trade 7. Regulatory alignment with the internal market 8. Political dialogue on foreign policy Part IV: Conclusions 9. Conclusions References

The Politics of EU Eastern Enlargement: Evidence from a Heckman Selection Model

The eastern enlargement of the European Union is a twofold process, in which governments of transition countries decide whether or not to apply for membership and in turn EU members decide whether or not to accept these applicants. The authors argue that the level of democracy and the extent of market reforms together determine the first decision, while the second decision is largely determined by the EU observing the reform process in applicant countries imposed by the acquis communautaire conditionality. The natural procedure to test this theory is a Heckman selection model. A Heckman specification with panel probit estimators in both stages is used. The data supports the argument that uncontested reforms signal the policy support of relevant political parties to the EUand increase the likelihood of joining the Union. The authors also test for specification errors and check the robustness of the findings.

Czech Women's Civic Organising under the State Socialist Regime, Socio-economic Transformation and the EU Accession Period

The article describes Czech women’s civic organising focused on gender equality and women’s rights since the Second World War and explains its character and development in the context of a) the state socialist regime, b) the impact of foreign and international donors on Czech women’s civic organising during the socio-economic and political transformation of the first part of the 1990s, and c) the current process of the formalisation of Czech women’s civic groups brought about by the Czech Republic’s preparation for EU accession. The formalisation of women’s civic groups is a process that consists of project-orientation, reform-orientation and the professionalisation of women’s civic groups. In the era when the funding of women’s civic groups has changed (as a result of EU Eastern enlargement) and the range of national political actors engaged in promoting gender equality has broadened (owing to pressure from the EU), these processes have brought about a shifts in the topics, activities, partnerships and strategies of Czech women’s civic groups. These processes have contributed on the one hand to the marginalisation of those topics, activities and strategies previously addressed by some of Czech women’s civic groups that do not fit in with the mainstream topics, activities and strategies defined by the EU (and by the EU influenced state). At the same time, however, some channels for having an impact on national decision-making processes have opened up to specific women’s civic groups. EU Eastern enlargement paradoxically led to the orientation of women’s civic groups towards national rather than supranational lobby-

The three logics of EU enlargement : interests identities and arguments

In this article we examine three different ways to approach the study of EU Eastern enlargement process: first, from a utility-maximising perspective, second, from the values stemming from EU’s collective identity, and finally, using a deliberative framework. More specifically, we look at whether each of these different rationales can explain the decision to enlarge, the selection of the candidates and the opening of negotiations. In our conclusions, we argue that while an instrumental logic can account for a good deal of EU member states’actions, a logic of justification has a great potential to explain why member states have felt obliged to refer their actions not to material interests but to norms and principles accepted by all.

EU-Erweiterung und die Struktur des deutschen Außenhandels

In diesem Beitrag werden die Handelseffekte der EU-Osterweiterung im Lichte der Erfahrungen mit fruheren Erweiterungsrunden analysiert. Gezeigt wird, dass der Grosteil der Anpassung im Volumen der Handelstrome bereits realisiert wurde, nachdem die EU ihre, Europa-Abkommen’ mit den damaligen Beitrittskandidaten abgeschlossen hatte. Gegenwartig konzentrieren sich die Anpassungsprozesse vor allem auf die sektorale Arbeitsteilung mit den neuen EU-Mitgliedslandern, die sich allmahlich von der interindustriellen zur intraindustriellen Ebene verlagert. Dadurch wird der strukturelle Anpassungsdruck auf die deutsche Wirtschaft zusatzlich abgemildert.