Correlations between European integration and sub-regional cooperation - Theoretical background, experience and policy impacts

`This working paper is based on the findings of an international research p rogramme. The aim was to make a comparative analysis of the interactions be tween European integration and sub-regional cooperation, placing it in a hi storical setting. Four European sub-regions were selected for study: the Be nelux countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands), the two Iberian countries (Portugal and Spain), the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia , Lithuania), and the founder members of CEFTA (the Czech Republic, Hungary , Poland and Slovakia). To ensure that findings would be comparable, the fo ur sub-regions were surveyed according to uniform principles. The project f ocuses on the economic implications of sub-regional cooperation and Europea n integration. However, some basic security, political and institutional as pects with strong economic implications could not be ignored.