Theories of Regional Economic Integration Revisited

Besides testing theories that examine European integration in its political aspect, the OPT example offers an opportunity to apply a further set of literature to the case of CEECs’ transition economies. This is comprised of international trade and international production theories and, in general, theories of regional economic integration. Whereas International Trade theories provide – in principle – an answer as to why OPT develops in CEECs, International Production theories are better apt at answering how OPT is chosen by EU firms to extend their activities to CEECs. As for as theories of regional integration are concerned, these should offer an explanation to account for the contribution of OPT to the dynamics of regional integration in an enlarged Europe.