Enlargement, two years after: an economic evaluation

The fifth enlargement of the EU took place on 1 May 2004. Its second anniversary is an occasion to review the experience and draw lessons which could be useful for future enlargement. While the accession of the ten new Member States had an important political and strategic dimension, this study focuses on the economic aspects of enlargement. It assesses whether the expectations of a positive economic impact prevailing in the run-up to the enlargement, in spite of some concerns in both the existing and acceding countries, have been fulfilled.

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