ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the methodology that enables the measurement of the expansion strategies directed towards the new European Union (EU) countries, and presents the exploratory findings of what strategies foreign companies use towards the new EU countries. Ten new countries joined the EU in May 2004. The imports consist of the exports of foreign companies towards the new EU countries and exports of foreign affiliates of companies with a home-base in the accession countries towards their parents. A new framework has been introduced that allows for the direct measurement of the expansion strategies towards the new EU countries. The chapter describes the data sources that are used and the conceptualization of variables that makes our framework measurable by the given data. To confirm the expected impact of the barriers and opportunities on strategic posture, various items of barriers and opportunities are for the ten new EU countries regressed with the shares of strategies of attracted foreign activity.
