SEGMENTATION OF EU/EA COUNTRIES VIA CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF MACROECONOMICS INDICATORS

The base of the research is author's desire to understand the economic position of EU countries better. It's an effort to allocate the states by groups with the help of cluster analysis based on macroeconomics indicators. It's interesting to consider the following characteristics: optimal numbers of groups, basic group forming criterions, distribution of countries by groups. The results of the analysis, based on a sample of EU27 for the 2003-2011 years, reflect adequately the dynamic how the economic situations of the countries are developing. The outcome shows the influence of the crises on a relative position of the Euro Union countries. During the situation prior to the crisis EU countries are easily divided into four clusters. The strongest cluster, from the economical point of view, consists of one country Luxemburg. The second cluster in 2010, year of the crises, is divided into three groups: the best of the best, the best, the worst of the best. Ireland, which was financially successful, in 2011 year go down and pass to one of the worst cluster together with Portugal. The worst cluster in 2011 year is represented by the only one country - Greece.