ABSTRACT
We shall divide this section into three parts. First, we will look very quickly at how the countries that joined the EU in 2004 are faring in economic terms. Then we will review the list of countries that are currently applicants to join the EU and discuss the current state of their applications. Lastly, we will speculate on which other countries might want to join the EU, and whether, indeed, the EU and Europe will become synonymous.
