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Economic Integration and Intra-industry Trade Between the European Community and the Western Balkan Countries

  • South East European Issues
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Transition Studies Review

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the relation between trade liberalisation, economic integration and the intensity of intra-industry trade among three countries of different development levels in a Free trade Area context. The theoretical analysis indicates that the benefits of creating a Free Trade Area between the Western Balkan countries and the European Community (EC), following the predictions of the Association and Stabilisation Agreements will be unevenly spread between member-states of the EC and the Western Balkan countries. The second part of this paper examines the actual level of intra-industry trade between the Western Balkan countries and the EC. The level and the trend of intra-industry trade between the two Eastern Balkan countries, Romania and Bulgaria, member-states of the EC since 2007 and which reflect the provisions of Europe Agreements are also investigated.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge comments by Professor Thomas Moutos of Athens University of Economics. The authors are responsible for the remaining errors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, Aristotelion University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Dimitri Mardas

  2. Department of Balkan Studies, University of Western Macedonia, Kozani, Greece

    Chistos Nikas

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  1. Dimitri Mardas
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  2. Chistos Nikas
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Correspondence to Dimitri Mardas.

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Mardas, D., Nikas, C. Economic Integration and Intra-industry Trade Between the European Community and the Western Balkan Countries. Transit Stud Rev 15, 511–523 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11300-008-0025-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11300-008-0025-2

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