The Analysis Of The Convergence Process Of The Eastern Partnership Countries

The current paper analyzes, in a benchmarking approach, how the Eastern Partnership group of countries, namely Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are performing, compared with Romania and Bulgaria, the last two countries that have joined the European Union, in 2007, but also with the EU – 27 average. Our hypothesis is that these Eastern countries will follow a similar path with the new Member States on their road towards the European Union, considering their communist background and similar economic model, among which, for example the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. On the other hand, we expect to see that these non-EU countries are facing a much faster post-crisis recovery against the Member States, benefiting from several competitive advantages and the positive trade with the EU. The analysis also focuses on the policy implications in the context of the European Neighborhood Policy. The benchmarking analysis is a multicriterial one, based on the set of cohesion indicators established for evaluating and monitoring the EU Cohesion Strategy, covering the most relevant macro-economic, social and environmental dynamics. The analysis covers five years, between 2007, the accession year of Romania and Bulgaria and 2011, the last one for which extensive data is available, comprising the entire crisis cycle.