These effects are visible in a high degree of economic integration between the new and the old Member States. Trade integration is already visible in the share of these ten countries in the previous 15 Member States’ exports and imports, which stands at around 12-13 % - an increase of some 50% since 1995.
Capital integration has also increased dramatically over recent years, as the share of the new Member States in the old Member States’ total FDI outflows amounts to around 12 %. But both economic theory and empirical records lead us to believe that more is to come.