Bulgaria, CASE Network Reports, EU accession, Europe, Macroeconomics and macroeconomic policy, CASE Reports, Romania, Trade, economic integration and globalization, transition economies

Macroeconomic and Fiscal Challenges Facing Central European Countries During the EU Accession Process

Abstract

At the end of 1997 five transition countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia – were invited to start negotiations on their accession to the EU. Three other countries – Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia – may still join the first group. Two other countries – Bulgaria and Romania – have concluded free trade and association treaties with the EU and have less clear accession perspectives, as their transition performance has lagged behind the frontrunners.