EU’s big chance to extend peace, stability, democracy and prosperity

Date: 29/04/04

On 1 May, the European Union will add ten new member states, its population will increase by 75 million to some 450 million inhabitants and it will be the biggest internal market worldwide. But reducing this project to mere statistics doesn't tell us very much. In fact, enlargement is about so much more.

I would even go as far as saying that the word "enlargement" is misleading: it suggests a compilation of additional states which want to become members of our club. Rather, this event is above all a political ambition, based on the same vision and goals as those of the founders of European integration.

In the aftermath of two horrendous wars, in which hatred, racism and dictatorships destroyed many millions of lives and destroyed European leadership in the world, men such as Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer not only understood that the absolute urgency was to restore peace on our continent once and for all, they also knew the only way to achieve such a goal was through the integration of economies and the development of common policies. Only five years after the war, the old enemies sat around the table to launch this project, thereby paving the way for the most peaceful and prosperous era of European history.

The project of enlargement is driven by the same motives. It is about extending peace, stability, democracy and prosperity, which the EU has so successfully experienced, to the whole area between the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic and the Black Sea. It is therefore a key strategic project not only for the acceding countries, but for the whole of Europe. Until the fall of communism, Europe was cut in half. Walls and barriers, such as the Berlin Wall, mutual suspicion and the threat of war separated the countries behind the Iron Curtain from the rest. It was not before 1989 (when the wall came down) that the European Union got the unique chance to put all this behind it and to unite an artificially divided continent.

There was no way that Europe could let this opportunity pass. Solidarity vis-à-vis countries with shared historic and cultural roots made it imperative for the EU member states to come to the assistance of their neighbours. Peace and stability would not only heal the wounds that years of isolation and mistrust had inflicted on European societies - they would also fuel economic development and would maximize prosperity for all.

The offer of EU membership to central and eastern European countries was instrumental in achieving these goals. In order to be part of the EU family, restructuring of antiquated economic and political structures was a prerequisite. The acceding countries have undertaken enormous efforts to succeed in this gigantic transformation process.

They have privatized industries and banks, liberalized markets and prices, set up new administrations to ensure fair competition and oversee market rules. They have reformed their judicial systems and adopted the complete EU legal framework. While negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania still continue and the decision whether to start negotiations with Turkey will be taken at the end of this year, the ten countries that will join the Union are completing their preparations for accession. They have developed into stable democracies. Conflicts between neighbours, border disputes and minority problems have been settled. The transformation into functional market economies is largely complete and economic reforms are giving rise to competitive structures. Never before have so many accessions taken place simultaneously and never before have preparations for accession involved such a sweeping transformation of the candidate countries' own economies and societies. And never before has !accession been so well prepared.

The present enlargement was driven by moral force, by political and strategic considerations. It was the EU's response, long overdue, to the tragic events of the 20th century. It was a bid for peace through integration, for stability through understanding and cooperation. This is why this enlargement is truly historic.

However, that is not the end of the story. The EU needs to develop the integration further, to strengthen its institutions, to adapt its policies to the challenges of the 21st century, among which, of course, the fight against fundamentalism and terrorism dramatically gained importance in the past weeks.

This is absolutely crucial if Europe wants to be able to defend its interests with one voice and not a dissonant chorus. We need to strengthen what we have in common to be able to cope with the emerging problems in the world.

Therefore, we will only make full use of the potential offered by enlargement when the European Union, through a constitution worthy of its new dimension and weight, develops a genuine foreign and security policy, as well as a strong judicial and police cooperation needed to defend our values, our freedom and our security in today's world.

Article is part of a European Voice Special Report on EU Enlargement. The author is European Commissioner for Enlargement.