ABSTRACT
On 1 May 2004, ten new member states acceded to the European Union (EU). Besides Malta and the Republic of Cyprus, the group consists of eight formerly communist countries: the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The eastern enlargement round has already been the biggest in the history of the Community, and it is not finished. Accession treaties with Bulgaria and Romania were signed on 25 April 2005; both countries plan to join the EU in 2007. The opening of accession talks with Croatia was slated for 2005 but still depends on the full cooperation of Croatia with the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague; and negotiations with Turkey are planned to begin in October 2005. Finally, the EU extended an open invitation to the remaining countries of the Balkans. At the conclusion of eastern enlargement, the EU might have more than doubled its membership to over 30 states. This huge expansion has far-reaching effects on the institutional set-up and central policies of the EU and has triggered tough negotiations on budget and institutional reforms. The accession countries, however, have arguably been affected even more strongly: EU accession conditionality has triggered a comprehensive ‘Europeanisation’ of the state and its policies.
