ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the main features of the procedures devised by the European Union (EU) for evaluating progress toward membership and provides an overview of the countries that have applied for membership to the EU. It deals with geographic information (GI) policy and the emergence of a national spatial data infrastructure in Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, and Slovenia. The European Economic Community, originally made up of six members, gradually expanded to take in almost all of the western part of the continent. The European Conference was established to provide a framework for the process of enlargement. Major EU policy areas make direct requirements for the development of GI systems. There is certainly a high degree of consensus that public administration benefits considerably from having modern information systems, not just on direct support of its activities but also by allowing a more open access to public sector information, which in turn enables more informed public participation and accountable administrations.
