Integrating Europe: The Transition Economies at Stake (International Studies in Economics and Econometrics, 37) - Softcover

Van Brabant, J.M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1461378664 ISBN 13: 9781461378662

Publisher: Springer, 2012

Synopsis

Bringing the eastern European economies in transition (defined more precisely in the Introduction) under the economic, political, and secu­ rity umbrella of the European Union (ED) has been an ambition of many of these countries from the very start of the so-called annus mirabilis in 1989. The road to gratification of this aspiration since then has been rather bumpy, however one wants to look at recent events. Indeed, since 1989 the relationship between the EU and the economies in transition has been ebbing and flowing with the evolution of two main strands of policy stances in the EU. One has been deep skepticism about bringing these countries into the Union at all in any foreseeable future. This in spite of the fact that, after long hesitation, in mid 1993 the EU Member States committed themselves eventually to explore accession with selected transition economies, as well as Cyprus and Malta. The other has been their evolving attitude toward their own integration endeavors. Hence the dilemmas, in the EU's parlance, of the "deepening versus widening" conundrum. That indeed constitutes the paramount issue addressed in the present investigation.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The volume traces the current policy dilemmas facing the Union, the topics around which the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference has been crystallizing, the policy dilemmas of monetary union, the lessons to be drawn from assisting the transition economies, the core issues of accession negotiations, and the adoption of a pre-accession strategy in the interest of the potential members as well as the present Union. It is also argued that in the process the assistance efforts to economies in transition that cannot join any time soon or others that will not join should be modulated in the same spirit in order to better reflect the interests of the Union.

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1461378664
• ISBN 13: 9781461378662
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 307