The Impact of Fiscal Transfer from the EU Budget on Economic Growth in CEE Countries

Fiscal transfer is defined as the allocation of funds from the European Union’s budget to its member states or regions for various purposes. This transfer constitutes an essential aspect of the European Union cohesion policy that aims to reduce the economic and social disparities among member states and to promote economic development and integration across the Union. The purpose of this paper was to determine the impact that these fiscal transfers from the union budget had on the economic performance in the Central and Eastern European countries. To achieve this, I used a panel data fixed effect model, taking into account the effects of the cohesion policy, but also other relevant variables. The paper focused on the period 2009 - 2022, being aimed at the member countries of the Central and Eastern European Union because they have a similar economic path. The results of the research demonstrated the fact that the expenses from the union budget had a positive impact on the economic performance in this region during the analysed period.