Monetary and financial integration: Evidence from the EMU

This paper examines the impact of European Monetary Union (EMU) accession on bilateral international commercial bank lending patterns. Using a difference-in-differences methodology, I demonstrate that accession to the EMU was accompanied by a change in Portuguese and Greek borrowing in favor of borrowing from their EMU partner nations. This extends the evidence in the literature that overall international borrowing is facilitated by the creation of a monetary union, and raises the possibility of financial diversion. J. Japanese Int. Economies 23 (2) (2009) 114-130.