Western Balkans Regional Common Market: What lesson can be taught from EEA?: A case study of public procurement (original) (raw)

Intra-industry Trade between the European Union and Western Balkans A Close-up

After the collapse of socialism, ex-centrally planned economies underwent the transition process towards the market economy with more or less success. The now so-called Western Balkans region was additionally burdened by the war, which disrupted previously existing trading routes, contributed to the delay in the transition process and increased the gap not only between them and more advance market economies, but also other transition economies in the region. This has significantly influenced the speed of the EU integration processes of these countries. The accession and participation on the common EU market bring additional challenges to these rather non-competitive economies. What comes into perspective when having in mind the integration prospects, is the evolution of trade between these countries and EU.

Making EU Trade Agreements Work: The Role of Rules of Origin

The World Economy, 2003

Shortly after the end of the Kosovo war, the last of the Yugoslav dissolution wars, the Balkan Reconstruction Observatory was set up jointly by the Hellenic Observatory, the Centre for the Study of Global Governance, both institutes at the London School of Economics (LSE), and the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw). A brainstorming meeting on Reconstruction and Regional Cooperation in the Balkans was held in Vouliagmeni on 8-10 July 1999, covering the issues of security, democratisation, economic reconstruction and the role of civil society. It was attended by academics and policy makers from all the countries in the region, from a number of EU countries, from the European Commission, the USA and Russia. Based on ideas and discussions generated at this meeting, a policy paper on Balkan Reconstruction and European Integration was the product of a collaborative effort by the two LSE institutes and the wiiw. The paper was presented at a follow-up meeting on Reconstruction and Integration in Southeast Europe in Vienna on 12-13 November 1999, which focused on the economic aspects of the process of reconstruction in the Balkans. It is this policy paper that became the very first Working Paper of the wiiw Balkan Observatory Working Papers series. The Working Papers are published online at www.balkanobservatory.net, the internet portal of the wiiw Balkan Observatory. It is a portal for research and communication in relation to economic developments in Southeast Europe maintained by the wiiw since 1999. Since 2000 it also serves as a forum for the Global Development Network Southeast Europe (GDN-SEE) project, which is based on an initiative by The World Bank with financial support from the Austrian Ministry of Finance and the Oesterreichische Nationalbank. The purpose of the GDN-SEE project is the creation of research networks throughout Southeast Europe in order to enhance the economic research capacity in Southeast Europe, to build new research capacities by mobilising young researchers, to promote knowledge transfer into the region, to facilitate networking between researchers within the region, and to assist in securing knowledge transfer from researchers to policy makers. The wiiw Balkan Observatory Working Papers series is one way to achieve these objectives. The wiiw Balkan Observatory Global Development Network Southeast Europe This study has been developed in the framework of research networks initiated and monitored by wiiw under the premises of the GDN-SEE partnership. The Global Development Network, initiated by The World Bank, is a global network of research and policy institutes working together to address the problems of national and regional development. It promotes the generation of local knowledge in developing and transition countries and aims at building research capacities in the different regions. The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies is a GDN Partner Institute and acts as a hub for Southeast Europe. The GDN-wiiw partnership aims to support the enhancement of economic research capacity in Southeast Europe, to promote knowledge transfer to SEE, to facilitate networking among researchers within SEE and to assist in securing knowledge transfer from researchers to policy makers. The GDN-SEE programme is financed by the Global Development Network, the Austrian Ministry of Finance and the Jubiläumsfonds der Oesterreichischen Nationalbank.

Trade and Country Legislation as a Roadmap for Economic Integration: Focus on Balkan Countries

International Journal of Management Excellence, 2020

Purpose: This paper focuses on identifying the role of trade and legislation of a country for economic integration. Every Balkan country has claims to integrate into the large family of the European Union- EU. This context besides foreign trade legal infrastructure is one of the main determinants of this process. It is imperative that laws related to the process of economic integration should comply with EU legal directives. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data processing design (for legislation as a roadmap for economic integration) is in line with established international standards. It focuses on data published by the governing institutions of the relevant countries using deductive methods. It also compares data obtained from research in analytical and synthetic terms with direct access to literature, scientific journals, as well as official reports published locally and abroad. Findings: Today, economic integration has become a necessity of recent times. They are influenced by a la...

Trade liberalisation in the Balkans - a blessing in disguise?

2003

Therefore today the process includes eight countries, but Moldova as a latecomer will not be considered in this paper. 3 In both cases, Kosovo is not taken into account. Though Kosovo is still officially part of Serbia and Montenegro (according to UN Security Council Resolution 1244), it has not officially participated in the trade liberalisation process, although it has recently concluded a free trade agreement with Albania. Moreover, its foreign trade statistics are not readily available, so all data for FR Yugoslavia (today Serbia and Montenegro) exclude Kosovo.

Policy Perspectives No 1 , April 2003 A Development Perspective on EU Trade Policies and Their Implications for Central and Eastern European Countries

2003

There is no doubt that the European Union (EU) has made a positive contribution to trade liberalisation and development in recent years. In fact, the WTO Secretariat Trade Policy Review (WTO TPR) pointed out that the EU played a leadership role prior to and during the Doha negotiations, and contributed significantly to the successful launching of the Doha Development Agenda. The EU – and the European NGO community in particular – have been responsible for the significant breakthrough made with the acceptance of the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health at Doha. The Everything-But-Arms Initiative has no doubt led the way in addressing the market access needs of Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Further, it should be acknowledged that the EU Commission played a leadership role in beginning the serious debate among Member States on the need for the radical reform and adjustment of its agricultural and trade policies by the introduction of the Mid-Term Review of the Commo...

Trade regimes and bilateral trade in the EU enlargement process: Focus on the Western Balkans*

Acta Oeconomica, 2015

This paper aims at investigating the role of different trade regimes in determining the bilateral trade of Western Balkan countries and the enlarged European Union between 2001—2010. Special focus is laid on the intra-regional trade of Western Balkan countries and complementarities of this sub-regional trade integration and the EU accession process. Using panel data, we estimated the gravity model of bilateral exports from Western Balkan and Central Eastern European countries to the core EU members in the 2001–2010 period. The results confirm the importance of EU membership for the development of acceding countries’ trade and shed light on asymmetrical trade regimes as important factors of boosting the bilateral trade flows. Additionally, CEFTA 2006 has a significant contribution to intra-regional Western Balkans trade.

EU's trade agreements

Bratislava Law Review, 2017

Conclusion of the Trade agreements between the European Union and the third countries is one of the displays of the EU´'s sovereignty. At the same time, it is an effective tool for enhancement of the EU´'s position within a globalised world of trade. The aim of the trade agreements is to create an easier business environment for (European) entrepreneurs, in particular by removing the customs, opening the public procurement, establishing the common technical standards, setting the rules of solving the disputes. At the same time, the trade agreements guarantee the achieved level of rights and interests protected by law of the European subjects. This leads to exterritorial application of the European law. This article is focused on brief analysis of concluded EU´'s trade agreements and their application.