ABSTRACT
In its relations with the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the European Union has pursued a policy of staged enlargement. While eight of these countries were admitted to the Union in May 2004, others are still waiting in the wings. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a new project in Central and Eastern Europe, entailing major changes along political and economic dimensions, replaced the previous task of Soviet-led communist construction. The breakdown of the 'Iron Curtain' in Europe has lead to increased mobility of individuals, goods, services, and, most importantly, ideas. It has also resulted in the direct removal not only of many physical but also of mental barriers that had formerly separated Central and Eastern Europe from the West. There are costs and benefits of putting up or removing a border and most of the time the characteristics defining it are a matter of degree.
