East versus West? The European economic and social model after enlargement

East versus West? The European economic and social model after enlargement

Essay
Katinka Barysch
06 January 2006

The EU's enlargement to the East has been an economic success. Trade between the old and the new members is thriving. Foreign investment by West European companies has helped to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in Central and Eastern Europe, and it has generated multi-billion euro profits for the investing companies. Workers from Poland, Hungary and elsewhere have plugged skills gaps in those EU countries that have opened their labour markets.

Copyright is held by the Centre for European Reform. You may not copy, reproduce, republish or circulate in any way the content from this publication except for your own personal and non-commercial use. Any other use requires the prior written permission of the Centre for European Reform.