A comparison of EU member states and some countries entering into the Union

Hágen, István Zsombor – Király, Zsolt

A comparative analysis of 14 EU member states (unfortunately no data of Luxemburg were available) and 5 countries entering into the Union (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia) was carried out using econometric methods. Indices used throughout the investigation were: GDP per capita, rate of unemployment, inflation, rate of people employed in the servicing sector, index of living standard, and index of innovation. The purpose was to investigate the correctness of the working hypothesis set up by the authors (consisting in the presumed connections and interrelations between economic phenomena measured by the indices applied), to define the order of development of the above mentioned countries, and to illustrate their differences in respect of development. Results obtained were as follows. The correctness of the working hypothesis was proven by correlations and their values. As for development, the countries investigated form two groups significantly differing on the basis of generated background variables, which can be further divided into two sub-groups each due to the quarters of the system of co-ordinates. Austria, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Great Britain, and Sweden belong to the “upper” sub-groups of the firs group in respect of development, and Belgium, Finland, France, Germany and Italy to the “lower” one, which is perhaps surprising seeing the economic weight of France and Germany. Similarly surprising is the fact that in the “competition” of less developed countries Portugal visibly gets ahead of Spain and Portugal together with another three entering countries (Czechia, Hungary, and Slovenia). Our northern neighbours Slovakia and Poland bring up the rear. Thus, it can be stated that, though the countries of Central Eastern Europe entering into the European Union are considerably lagging behind the majority of EU member states, they still cannot be considered the less developed areas of the expanding European Union.

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