On May 1, the European Union expanded to become the world's biggest economic bloc, with a population of more than 450 million people, and territory a quarter bigger than before. What does this mean for the future? VELINA NACHEVA reports.





TO the strains of Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the now-25 members of the European Union are set to celebrate this year's Europe Day on May 9.

In an apt choice of phrase, the members are describing themselves, and the Union, as "Different But Together".

These are days, from May 1 to 9, of much celebration, and much symbolism, and these days are a long way from the 1950s when the then French foreign minister Robert Schuman called for his country and Germany and other European countries to pool their coal and steel production as "the first concrete foundation of a European federation".

Even though Bulgaria, like other candidate countries, remained an onlooker on May 1, Sofia citizens gathered not far from Parliament to hail EU enlargement. They bore open umbrellas, as part of the More Umbrellas art project.

Michael Werner, the German artists who came up with the concept, said that the collective display of open umbrellas would make up the largest work of art in Europe.

In parallel with this and other symbolic displays, the message that is being pushed is that joining the European Union does not mean the sacrifice of a country's national identity, but rather the enriching of the EU with each country's rich culture and history. Beyond this, Europeans must consciously find their own collective identity.

On May 9 this year, particularly in the light of the fact that so many of the new members of the EU are from the former communist bloc, many minds will turn to recollection of the time when Europe was divided between East and West, during the Cold War era.

For East Europeans in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the achievement of enlargement also will mean mindfulness of the 15 years of often traumatic economic reforms that followed the collapse of communist rule.

And for those who look ahead, there will be mindfulness of the next, sixth, expansion, that will move the borders of the EU closer to the Middle East, and that will incorporate Bulgaria into the Union.

EU enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen has been responsible for enlargement of the EU within the European Commission since 1999, and since 2003 his responsibilities have been extended to the "New Neighbourhood Policy".

After the enlargement there will be 14 new immediate neighbours: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Syria, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

"With the policy of a 'New Neighbourhood' we wish to develop our relations with these states as far as possible, in order not to allow any new dividing lines to be created with the Union."

Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, said there were two further challenges which the new Europe must meet in a spirit of solidarity.

"These are the interlinked issues of how best to manage economic globalisation and the concerns and opportunities it entails and, in an increasingly multipolar world, how best to ensure systems of political governance that are both efficient and equitable," Prodi said.

Within the next three years, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania are expected to join the EU. It appears that twenty-first century Europe is irreversibly on track to a single market, with free movement of goods, people, capital and services. The world's largest trading bloc, with almost half a billion citizens, accounting for one fifth of world trade income will be the largest barrier-free market in the world, bigger than the US, Canada and Mexico together. This will be a market open to the rest of the world.

"Our co-operation will face constant obstacles and challenges. But united in diversity we will be stronger and better equipped to find solutions to common problems. United in diversity, we can work more effectively for safety and prosperity for all," Prodi told a ceremony in Dublin last week to celebrate EU expansion.

The era of rediscovered unity will face institutional challenges, economic and financial ones as well as development of common culture and defence policy.

Pat Cox, president of the European parliament, told a recent conference on EU enlargement: "The new member states will now be firmly anchored in the community of values, which inform and permeate the public purpose of the Union. Their rightful place at the heart of this community will also give them new confidence, new dynamism, which will generate positive effects on the whole Union".

Expansion is not only a historic success in foreign policy of the union; it is an economic event, too.

One of the things to be achieved will be meeting the discrepancy between the standard of living in the new and old member states of the EU.

Bulgaria's European Affairs Minister Meglena Kuneva said that after signing the accession treaty, Bulgaria would also become an active observer in the discussion of important issues as the EU budget for 2007-2013 and the application of the Lisbon strategy.

This month, the European Commission is expected to present a detailed financial framework for the country before or during the technical consultations in May.

The financial package for Bulgaria and Romania reflects the same principles on the basis of which the new members joined last week. The financial package for Bulgaria and Romania estimated at 15.396 billion euro, spans to 2009, and is part of the whole budget of the EU for 2007-2013.

Negotiations for this budget are in the process of starting, and will be completed at the earliest in 2005. Some additional changes might be introduced to the initial figures.

By 2007 both countries Bulgaria and Romania will receive 1.648 billion euro and in 2008 the financing will be 3.27 billion euro and in 2009 the budget for both will be 4.13 billion euro. The largest amount of money in the countries' accession is projected for structural activities and getting the standards of the country closer to those of the EU. The average GDP per head of the 10 recently acceded countries represents only 46 per cent of Community GDP per inhabitant. Compared to previous accession of Greece and Portugal their positions were respectively 58 and 53 per cent. Thus, the cost of enlargement for the 15 member states will be approximately 21 euro a person a year.

The recently acceded 75 million people will bring additional consumers and labour force to the whole European family. It is hoped that this will be the basis for the raising of their standards of living to that of the rest of the EU.

Bringing people from Europe together topped the European - Identity Cultural Caravan, a unique train tour that took place at the beginning of April through the accession countries, which was organised to stimulate thinking and conversation on the issue of European identity.

It highlighted true Central European innovations, while reinforcing the opportunity for development of a European identity through the interdisciplinary relationship of art and business.

"In this way, we hope to both enlarge Western Europe's perception of the West and Central Europe's history, and help to take away the fear of losing their cultural identity by the joining West and Central European countries," organisers said.

They said that Europe needed to define its identity.

"By inviting the brains of all different areas of Europe: culture, business, science, politics to a one week of structured brain-storming, we will compose a valuable foundation for all of those who want to change Europe in a constructive way," organisers said.

The train started from Ljubljana (Slovenia) and ended in Prague, passing through Budapest, Bratislava, Krakow and Riga.

Moreover, the train was meant to symbolise the free movement of persons, one of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by European law, and which includes the right to live and work in another member state. This is an essential element of the internal market and of European citizenship. After the May 1 enlargement, there will be transitional periods limiting the free movement of workers from new member states, which have been set out in the Accession Treaty.

For the first two years following the accession of the new member states, access to the labour markets of current member states will depend on national measures and policies, as well as bilateral agreements they may have with the new member states. There is no requirement to notify the Commission formally of the measures to be taken.

At the end of the first two years, mid-2006, the Commission will draft a report, which will be the basis for a review by the Council of Ministers of the functioning of the transitional arrangements.

From 2011, seven years after the May 1 expansion, there will be complete freedom of movement for workers from the new member states.

Transitional arrangements have been set out in the Accession Treaty with regard to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. Cyprus and Malta will not have any restrictions on the free movement of workers. "Nationals of a current EU member state wishing to work in another current EU member state will not be affected by the transitional arrangements," the EU said.