The Central Eastern European trade represents a little amount of total European trade : it is less than 1 % of French and German gnp. But in some sectors, the export of Eastern Europe can reach 10 %-20 % of total European import. Thanks to the trade liberalisation process, a significant trade reorientation has taken place, but barriers remain in the sensitive sectors, where the Central Eastern European countries (CEEC's) may have comparative advantages. Although positive (new markets do not compensate for the CMEA trade collapse), the disintegration cost of cmea is decreasing. The analysis of trade at a disaggregated level reveals the sectors where CEEC's have comparative advantages. By estimating the factor content of Eastern European exports, it can been shown that they embody more labour than imports from Western Europe.
