Considerations on convergence in EU in matter of informal economy

This study is focusing on the convergence in matter of informal economy comparatively with real economic convergence in EU, thus trying to cover a subject at present less treated in the specialised literature. Starting from a series of existing studies on real convergence in the EU, after making its own estimates of convergence in income per capita, the area is expanded to the issue of convergence regarding the intensity of the informal economy. According to economic and geographic criteria, EU countries are grouped into three major classes, setting their characteristics in terms of the contribution of the informal economy to national economies. Within each group of countries, the convergence/divergence process is then analysed, both in terms of the general level of economic development and the expansion degree of the informal economy. Based on the proper processing of available statistical data, it finally identifies three major behavioral dynamics regimes in the informal economy and makes assumptions about future trajectories within the EU.