000151456 001__ 151456 000151456 005__ 20251017144613.0 000151456 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1080/15140326.2025.2460149 000151456 0248_ $$2sideral$$a143147 000151456 037__ $$aART-2025-143147 000151456 041__ $$aeng 000151456 100__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-6271-4370$$aGonzález-Álvarez, María A.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151456 245__ $$aEconomic convergence of Balkan regions towards EU 000151456 260__ $$c2025 000151456 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000151456 5203_ $$aThis paper analyzes convergence of per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Balkan NUTS3 regions to average GDP of the EU27. Employing stochastic and -convergence approaches, we find strong evidence supporting convergence across the panel, indicating a robust catch-up trend of the Balkans with EU GDP with a significant break around the Great Recession. However, this pattern is not uniform across all individual regions, with some of them exhibiting divergence (mainly Greece and some regions in Croatia, Albania and Serbia). We also categorize groups of economies sharing similar divergence patterns. Additionally, among the regions that converge, convergence rates vary, with some regions progressing faster (Bulgaria, Montenegro and North Macedonia). Our results suggest the critical necessity for policy interventions to hasten the convergence process by encouraging substantial reforms. If regional disparities are addressed and balanced development is promoted, Balkan countries can achieve more robust integration into the European economic framework. 000151456 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/PID2020-114646RB-C44$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/PID2022-139614NB-C2$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/PID2023-150095NB-C44 000151456 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 000151456 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000151456 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-5872-631X$$aMontañés, Antonio$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151456 700__ $$aRuiz, Esther 000151456 700__ $$aUku, Skender 000151456 7102_ $$14000$$2415$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Análisis Económico$$cÁrea Fund. Análisis Económico 000151456 773__ $$g28, 1 (2025), 248-278$$pJ. appl. econ.$$tJournal of Applied Economics$$x1514-0326 000151456 8564_ $$s10616067$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151456/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000151456 8564_ $$s905242$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151456/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000151456 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:151456$$particulos$$pdriver 000151456 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:18:10 000151456 980__ $$aARTICLE