The Unfinished Business of the Fifth Enlargement Countries

New European Union Member States face a series of painful reforms in education, health care and the economy, according to this report by the Open Society Institute, published in July 2009.

'The Unfinished Business of the Fifth Enlargement Countries' analyses the problems faced by the ten new Eastern and Central European Member States after their accession to the EU in 2004 and 2007 in eleven policy areas including political development, the economy, the healthcare system and education.

The 'unfinished business' concerns mainly the policy areas of national competence (political systems, social, educational, health reforms and sustainable economic development) that have been largely neglected by decision-makers in the pre-accession period for the sake of the accession agenda.

The report argues that the strongest leverage the EU now has to encourage reforms in its new members is the accession to the Euro zone.

“Unlike in the pre-accession period, when the EU played a major role in determining the rules of the game, it is now up to each country to develop its own road map for accomplishing the reform agenda”, said Assya Kavrakova, director of the “European Policies and Civic Participation” program in OSI-Sofia.