The Monetary Integration of the New Member States before the Euro Area Debt Crisis

This paper analyzes the process of monetary integration of the New Member States in the European Union till the beginning of the Euro Area debt crisis. The focus of investigation is on the nominal convergence (the fulfillment of the Maastricht criteria) and on the satisfaction of the Optimum Currency Area criteria by the New Member States. More specifically, the trade integration, the financial integration, the output structure and the labor markets of the New Member States are explored from the standpoints of the Optimum Currency Area theory and in the context of the future membership of the New Member States in the Euro Area. The experience of the NMS, which have already adopted the Euro, is also reviewed.