Development of nominal and real convergence in Czech and Slovak Republic and entry of the Czech Republic into the EMU

The aim of this thesis is to define nominal and real convergence within the area of the European Union and to assess its development on the example of the Czech and Slovak Republics. This dissertation is divided into three integrated sections. The theoretical part analyses basic economic concepts related to the issue of convergence and stability of joint economic units. The topics covered include the Maastricht criteria, their relevance, currentness and possible conflict between nominal and real convergence with the accession of new countries, then the theory of optimum currency area (OCA), theory of endogeneity and exogeneity and the linkage on fiscal policy and fiscal discipline in the environment of the European Union and the eurozone. Special attention is focused on the development of fiscal policy following from the establishment of the Stability and Growth Pact, including its reforms and recent changes in the form of the Euro Plus Pact and the Fiscal Convention. To satisfy the need for quantitative evaluation of given hypotheses, the second (empirical and analytical) part offers two self-constructed indices - the index of real convergence and fiscal discipline index. Based on these indices, relationship between the performance criteria of nominal and the real economy is monitored in the evaluated cohort. The last part of this work is dedicated to synthesis and application of findings from the previous sections upon which conclusions and recommendations for possible entry of the Czech Republic into the euro area are made.