The impact of European Union accession on regional income convergence within the Visegrad countries

The impact of European Union accession on regional income convergence within the Visegrad countries. Regional Studies. This paper applies regional dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) models to simulate the growth of regional percapita income within the Visegrad group of countries. It shows how regional income differentials would evolve in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia if they did not join the European Union. We find that all regions would grow at a slower pace without European Union membership and that the European Union structural policies play a key role here. Finally, we prove the impact of accession on the evolution of regional income inequalities, although its magnitude differs significantly between countries.