Carlos Brandão Cavalcanti - Estonia: implementing the EU accession agenda

Economic integration that leads to the convergence of incomes and living standards is at the heart of the EU accession process. The assumption is that trade integration combined with institutional harmonization will lead to sustainable capital flows from European Union member countries to acceding countries ... Estonias case for accession is built, to a large extent, on a record of sound economic management. Indeed, since regaining independence in 1991, Estonia has successfully implemented a broad agenda of stabilization and structural reform policies. This commitment to sound economic management has yielded positive results. However, at present, Estonia is experiencing a sharp economic slowdown as a result of two major external shocks, the Asia and Russia crises. This country study emphasizes areas where there is greatest overlap between the accession agenda and measures to strengthen economic management. These areas of overlap include upgrading financial sector supervision and strengthening budget management. It also includes reforms in areas where there is complementarity between reforms designed to facilitate accession and structural reforms that will support long-term growth and economic integration. These are the modernization of public administration, the adherence to EU quality standards, the continuous improvement of the operations of the customs board, and the completion of land reform. Finally, the last two chapters of the study examine areas where implementing the accession agenda entail either a fundamental change in Estonias trade policy regime, or have high compliance costs. These are the adoption of the EUs Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as it evolves, and complying with EU environmental standards.