p_p_man
The 'Euro' European
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2001
- Posts
- 24,253
As the other thread today on the Copenhagen Summit has initiated some lively discussion, I thought this C&P from today's Guardian will be of interest...
"EU enlargement
As 10 new states move a step closer towards joining the EU, Simon Jeffery explains what the expansion will mean for the existing - and the prospective - members
Thursday December 12, 2002
Why is the EU expanding?
It is in many ways its historic mission. The European Economic Community - the forerunner of today's EU - was set up in the 1950s to salvage the war-ravaged nations of western Europe and link them together so they would never fight again. Since then there have been four waves of enlargement, taking the original six members to 15 (plus German reunification, which brought in the former East Germany).
The fifth wave will add 10 new states and extend the EU's largely successful project to bring peace, stability and prosperity deeper into the Mediterranean and across what was once the Iron Curtain. It marks the most ambitious leap forward in the EU's development.
Enlargement will also open up new markets to existing EU members, increasing the size of the single market by 40%. One study says the overall economic gain of enlargement to the existing 15 will be about £6bn - and about £15bn to the newcomers.
Which countries are set to join?
Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Cyprus.
Which ones are not?
Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. The first two are not yet ready to join - though have not been ruled out for future membership - and negotiations with Turkey, which joined the EEC as an associate member in 1963, have yet to begin. Turkey has been pushing through reforms that would allow it to begin talks but there are still concerns over human rights, the economy and the role of the military in politics. The former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the head of the convention on the future of Europe, has said Turkey is not a "European" country but several EU members - including Italy, the UK and Greece - support its efforts.
Who decides on new members?
The president of the commission, Romano Prodi, has recommended the 10 countries to the European council, a body made up of the existing members' heads of state or government and Mr Prodi. EU leaders then decide on the plan at this week's summit in Copenhagen. When the offer is made (or not) each prospective member state must then hold either a parliamentary vote or referendum on the EU before they can become members in mid-2004.
Is enlargement popular?
Though enlargement offers opportunities to new and old EU members, it is not universally supported. Businesses in former Soviet bloc countries such as Poland will have to compete with more established companies from the west of the union, while cheaper labour costs in the east may undercut profitability elsewhere. As elsewhere in Europe, there is also likely to be resistance to what is seen as the erosion of national sovereignty.
The new members will, however, receive regional aid for economic development and infrastructure projects that may improve the EU's image. But this will come at the expense of countries such as Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Greece, who have already enjoyed such benefits.
Enlargement - which has been enthusiastically backed by Britain - can also be seen as a tool to sculpt the future shape of the EU, as any efforts directed at widening the union will detract from the momentum to deepen it. It also means that currently unwieldy arrangements such as the common agricultural policy will have to be reformed. But other by-products of the process could be the writing of a European constitution and rolling back the vetoes each member state can impose on EU policy.
What are the criteria for joining?
Each candidate country must guarantee democracy, human rights, the rule of law and a functioning market economy. In addition it has to demonstrate that it adheres to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.
Emerging from communism and switching to a market economy are the basics for the former Soviet bloc countries. They must also tackle economic stability, environmental issues, trade, agriculture, workers' rights and a whole host of other issues.
How does expansion work?
Successful applicants have to comply with 80,000 pages of EU law, expand their government bureaucracies to cope with the new dimension to their national life and be prepared to compete head on with western companies. They have to strengthen their judicial systems and tighten their external borders. Contentious issues such as agricultural subsidies and special financial packages to ease the paths of the newcomers into the EU are left until the final months of negotiation.
Will it involve changes in the running of the EU?
There are warnings that the EU is not adapting quickly enough to cope with such an extension of its institutions - the commission alone is taking on 4,000 more staff to deal with a 25-strong grouping.
Reforms will also have to be agreed to avoid a 25-nation gridlock. Ministers from the 15 existing member states can take all day just making their national pitch during EU policy discussions. So add another 10 countries and decision-making could take twice as long.
But nothing has yet been decided on institutional change to facilitate enlargement. Britain wants a permanent presidency to oversee the work of EU governments, but others want more power for the commission.
How will it affect the EU's external relations?
There is one major territorial issue. Turkey has threatened to annex northern Cyprus (which it occupied in 1974 after a Greek-inspired coup) if the Greek part of the island joins the EU. A UN plan to unify the island has been put forward but is still under negotiation. If it fails and Cyprus joins the EU, Turkey will be in the potentially awkward position of occupying EU territory as few countries recognise the Turkish Cypriot republic in the north of the island.
One already resolved is Kaliningrad - a small part of Russia sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. If both countries join, there will be, in effect, a Russian island in the EU and Moscow was concerned its citizens would be denied access to the rest of the country without applying for a visa each time they made the trip. But from next July Poland and Lithuania will issue all Kaliningrad residents with a multiple-entry transit document.
Enlargement will also push the EU's borders to Russia and, through Cyprus, the Middle East, which may have an impact on how the EU sees its world role.
How much will it cost?
Most people say the costs of enlargement cannot be quantified but that the non-financial gains - political and economic stability, security, etc - far outweigh the cash price. One MEP says the actual cost is £67bn to the current 15 member states. But that is only one-tenth of what Germany spent on its own reunification."
Source and other links:
European Enlargement
ppman
"EU enlargement
As 10 new states move a step closer towards joining the EU, Simon Jeffery explains what the expansion will mean for the existing - and the prospective - members
Thursday December 12, 2002
Why is the EU expanding?
It is in many ways its historic mission. The European Economic Community - the forerunner of today's EU - was set up in the 1950s to salvage the war-ravaged nations of western Europe and link them together so they would never fight again. Since then there have been four waves of enlargement, taking the original six members to 15 (plus German reunification, which brought in the former East Germany).
The fifth wave will add 10 new states and extend the EU's largely successful project to bring peace, stability and prosperity deeper into the Mediterranean and across what was once the Iron Curtain. It marks the most ambitious leap forward in the EU's development.
Enlargement will also open up new markets to existing EU members, increasing the size of the single market by 40%. One study says the overall economic gain of enlargement to the existing 15 will be about £6bn - and about £15bn to the newcomers.
Which countries are set to join?
Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Cyprus.
Which ones are not?
Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. The first two are not yet ready to join - though have not been ruled out for future membership - and negotiations with Turkey, which joined the EEC as an associate member in 1963, have yet to begin. Turkey has been pushing through reforms that would allow it to begin talks but there are still concerns over human rights, the economy and the role of the military in politics. The former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the head of the convention on the future of Europe, has said Turkey is not a "European" country but several EU members - including Italy, the UK and Greece - support its efforts.
Who decides on new members?
The president of the commission, Romano Prodi, has recommended the 10 countries to the European council, a body made up of the existing members' heads of state or government and Mr Prodi. EU leaders then decide on the plan at this week's summit in Copenhagen. When the offer is made (or not) each prospective member state must then hold either a parliamentary vote or referendum on the EU before they can become members in mid-2004.
Is enlargement popular?
Though enlargement offers opportunities to new and old EU members, it is not universally supported. Businesses in former Soviet bloc countries such as Poland will have to compete with more established companies from the west of the union, while cheaper labour costs in the east may undercut profitability elsewhere. As elsewhere in Europe, there is also likely to be resistance to what is seen as the erosion of national sovereignty.
The new members will, however, receive regional aid for economic development and infrastructure projects that may improve the EU's image. But this will come at the expense of countries such as Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Greece, who have already enjoyed such benefits.
Enlargement - which has been enthusiastically backed by Britain - can also be seen as a tool to sculpt the future shape of the EU, as any efforts directed at widening the union will detract from the momentum to deepen it. It also means that currently unwieldy arrangements such as the common agricultural policy will have to be reformed. But other by-products of the process could be the writing of a European constitution and rolling back the vetoes each member state can impose on EU policy.
What are the criteria for joining?
Each candidate country must guarantee democracy, human rights, the rule of law and a functioning market economy. In addition it has to demonstrate that it adheres to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.
Emerging from communism and switching to a market economy are the basics for the former Soviet bloc countries. They must also tackle economic stability, environmental issues, trade, agriculture, workers' rights and a whole host of other issues.
How does expansion work?
Successful applicants have to comply with 80,000 pages of EU law, expand their government bureaucracies to cope with the new dimension to their national life and be prepared to compete head on with western companies. They have to strengthen their judicial systems and tighten their external borders. Contentious issues such as agricultural subsidies and special financial packages to ease the paths of the newcomers into the EU are left until the final months of negotiation.
Will it involve changes in the running of the EU?
There are warnings that the EU is not adapting quickly enough to cope with such an extension of its institutions - the commission alone is taking on 4,000 more staff to deal with a 25-strong grouping.
Reforms will also have to be agreed to avoid a 25-nation gridlock. Ministers from the 15 existing member states can take all day just making their national pitch during EU policy discussions. So add another 10 countries and decision-making could take twice as long.
But nothing has yet been decided on institutional change to facilitate enlargement. Britain wants a permanent presidency to oversee the work of EU governments, but others want more power for the commission.
How will it affect the EU's external relations?
There is one major territorial issue. Turkey has threatened to annex northern Cyprus (which it occupied in 1974 after a Greek-inspired coup) if the Greek part of the island joins the EU. A UN plan to unify the island has been put forward but is still under negotiation. If it fails and Cyprus joins the EU, Turkey will be in the potentially awkward position of occupying EU territory as few countries recognise the Turkish Cypriot republic in the north of the island.
One already resolved is Kaliningrad - a small part of Russia sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. If both countries join, there will be, in effect, a Russian island in the EU and Moscow was concerned its citizens would be denied access to the rest of the country without applying for a visa each time they made the trip. But from next July Poland and Lithuania will issue all Kaliningrad residents with a multiple-entry transit document.
Enlargement will also push the EU's borders to Russia and, through Cyprus, the Middle East, which may have an impact on how the EU sees its world role.
How much will it cost?
Most people say the costs of enlargement cannot be quantified but that the non-financial gains - political and economic stability, security, etc - far outweigh the cash price. One MEP says the actual cost is £67bn to the current 15 member states. But that is only one-tenth of what Germany spent on its own reunification."
Source and other links:
European Enlargement
ppman
