Cases in point are Cyprus and Slovenia. Per capita GDP, expressed in purchasing power parities, is 85% of the EU average in Cyprus and 69% in Slovenia. Those two countries generate a higher per capita GDP than some EU countries. Some of the remaining accession countries lag considerably further behind.
When looking at the averages, it should not be forgotten that, in some cases, there are major regional disparities within EU countries and accession countries. In real economic terms, the accession of central and east European countries is already a fact of life. Between 1993 and 2000 the share of accession countries’ total exports going to the EU rose to two third.