Will Eastern Europe become the New Periphery to the Prosperous Nations

Will Eastern Europe become the New Periphery to the Prosperous Nations of the West? "Enlargement is one the most important opportunities for the European Union as it prepares for the 21st century. It is a unique, historic task to further the integration of the continent by peaceful means, extending a zone of stability and prosperity to new members." www.europa.com/ec/enlarge European Union Enlargement ========================== At its summit in Luxembourg in December 1997, the European Commission decided that the enlargement should encompass: ÂÂ · the European Conference, a multilateral framework bringing together ten central European countries, Cyprus and Turkey, launched in 1998 on the 12 march; ÂÂ · the accession process, covering ten central European countries and Cyprus, launched in the same year on the 30th march; ÂÂ · the accession negotiations, which the European Council decided to open on the 31st march 1998 with six countries recommended by the European Commission: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. The European Union has already had many successful enlargements such as the United Kingdom in 1973 and also Greece in 1981 and most recently Sweden in 1995. So therefore there should not be any problems with expansion again. However the expansion under consideration today is different then before. It is unique because the area would increase by 34% and also the population would increase by 105 million that will also involve the membership of different cultures and histories. Eastern Europe and the Balkans would benefit significantly by the enlargement because of the single ... ... prosperous and also more likely to merge with the European Union without many problems and mainly be able to keep most of their workers there or even pull new investors into the area. So in conclusion as long as the integration and the European Union Accession Partnership before integration takes place and is followed carefully and all goes well then the Balkan area and even all of Central and Eastern Europe could integrate and not become peripheral but prosperous memberstates instead. Word Count: 2,100 References Peter Coffey "The Future of Europe". Agenda 2000 for a Stronger and Wider Union Brian Hill, "The European Union", 2nd edn, Heinemann Educational, 1994 1991-1999 EU assistance to South-Eastern Europe & Western Balkans - Figures www.europa.com/ec/enlarge www.europa.com