The Economic Complexity of the Visegrád Countries and the Role of Trade with Germany

The contemporary division of production in the global economy poses challenges typical for dependent market economies of the Visegrád countries (V4: Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). This comparative study explores whether the foreign trade of V4 with Germany contributes to their structural change. The analysis seeks to determine the long-term impact of specific intra-industry trade variables on the economic complexity, examined at different levels of technological sophistication. Our findings show that as a result of the characteristics of the trade dynamics, the progress of V4 structural change remains not as comprehensive as expected. As a result, it is critically important to provide incentives aimed at strengthening the geographical diversification of their exports and upgrade their position within the global value chains.