Does it make sense to deepen the economic cooperation of the western balkan economies?

Goran Nikolić

Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 2020, vol. 33, issue 1, 3453-3475

Abstract: The article discusses the structural changes in bilateral trade flows between Western Balkan (WB) countries in 2007-2018. The basic idea was to address whether there is a justification for the often proposed deepening of economic cooperation among WB states. After analysing the dynamics of mutual trade, we computed the value of intra-industry trade, whose potential decrease could indicate a divergence between observed trade structures. To detect a possible structural change in WB trade sectors, qualitative changes in those countries’ exports were calculated through the tendencies of a share of products at higher levels of processing. After calculating the export concentration coefficients, all the results were compared with those achieved by these countries in trade with the EU and in total. The article argues that there is no solid reason to pursue policies for strengthening mutual economic ties particularly towards a customs union, especially given the more attractive prospect of EU integration.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1080/1331677X.2020.1774791

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