New Dimensions of Core-Periphery Relations in an Economically Integrated Europe: The Role of Global Value Chains

This article investigates core-periphery relations within the enlarged EU by assessing the involvement of member-states in the international division of labor. In order to do so, it constructs indexes of core-periphery divisions, supplemented with an analysis of the position of EU countries in global value chains, utilizing the World Input-Output Tables. The article sheds new light on the organization of core-periphery divisions. It also demonstrates Central and Eastern Europe's successful integration into the global value chains as well as its significantly larger dependence on global production networks, as opposed to Southern and North-Western Europe. The article outlines that in terms of absolute contribution to value chains, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are advancing to the level of the Southern countries, with their continued dependency on foreign capital and technologies.