Umeå universitets logga

Investigating strategic implications of economic integration for firms, this paper presents and discusses a framework for assessment of barriers to intra-community competition. The case is the European internal market, from the perspective of Swedish SMEs. The dismantling of certain barriers as well as remaining barriers to intra-community transactions is acknowledged. Both circumstances influence competitive advantages on the domestic market and the need for resources and experience abroad. Opportunities and threats are related to the initial exposure to barriers of different categories: whether barriers build on political measures, market behaviour, culture or nature. Data from Swedish SMEs, including perceived distance to other markets, underline limitations in policymaking's reach as well as the importance of geographic and lingua-cultural distance.