The paper analyzes the proposal to create a hard core of European Union (EU) countries committed to deeper and faster integration by studying the economic structure of the proposed grouping. It is divided into two parts. The first examines the relative weight and structural characteristics of...

The paper contributes to the policy debate on European integration by analyzing intra-Community trade and studying the structural determinants of European competitiveness. Four types of explanatory factors of intra-EC trade are distinguished: (1) factors related to inter-industry trade; (2) factors...