Since joining the EU, Central-Eastern Europe has seen big changes in trade, exchange rates, and foreign investment. A study looked at how these factors affected the region's competitiveness from 2002 to 2007. It found that despite currency appreciation, exports and imports kept growing, showing that the countries were becoming more competitive. The analysis also showed that global and domestic economic growth played a big role in trade, and that the region's heavy reliance on global demand made it vulnerable to trade shocks.