Many sell raw materials or base products – Ukrainian steel, for example – where export competitiveness depends less on product quality than on global commodity prices. The two economies in the region that appear most successful – Belarus and Azerbaijan – are the furthest from the EU model.
第二，它们拥有弱国的经济。除了富有能源的阿塞拜疆，它们没有自然资源和高价值制造业，但拥有庞大的农业部门。它们还依赖经济租金或俄罗斯金融衍生品，却不提升自身价值——乌克兰以倒卖石油赚钱，白俄罗斯以精炼石油赚钱。