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Special characteristics of enlargement to the east
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The high number of membership candidates |
As far as the special characteristics of enlargement to the east is concerned, the first major factor is the number of applicant countries, which is four times higher than any single previous expansion of the Union. The large number of applicant countries created enormous problems while trying to balance out inter-Community interests. Membership of so many new countries has increased the EU's already pronounced heterogeneity on a massive scale.
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CEECs undergoing a far-reaching process of transformation |
The CEEC countries that joined the EU a few months ago are undergoing a far-reaching process of transformation. This process includes state institutions, administrations and economies, whose future role in a free-enterprise system still partially remains to be defined and which demonstrates a very fragile and unfinished character. Yet state institutions, administrations and economies have to work reliably for the implementation and control of the EU's regulations. These clear administrative weaknesses even in the applicant countries that have made most progress means that grave difficulties look certain to arise during the implementation of the EU's structural policy, as one example.
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Weaker economies |
Moreover, there is also the issue of the low level of economic development in the new member states, which, at only 32 percent of the EU's average GDP per capita, means they will be in need of long-term support. More than in any of the previous expansions, the EU will become a development Community.
Up until now, we have taken a very general look at this issue. And it is for this reason that I would now like to take a look at some of the concrete problems that will face the EU as a result. These are most pronounced in agricultural and structural policies, which can be highlighted with only a few numbers.
Turing once again to the huge discrepancies in the level of wealth among current and potential member states. Big differences already exist within the EU. Denmark's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, for example, is 25% higher than the EU average (125%), whereas Portugal and Greece only manage half the average (50%). GDP per capita in Poland and Hungary, which have made most progress among the applicant countries, is only half of the GDP in these, the poorest EU member states!
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| Comprehensive internal EU reforms needed |
Should these two areas of agriculture and structural policy be dealt with in the same way as for Portugal and Greece, this would trigger additional annual costs of around one third of the current EU budget (100 billion euros in 2004)! The lion's share of this transfer would go into agricultural policy. One of the reasons for this is the number of people working in this sector. In Poland, for instance, and while also bearing in mind that it is one of the countries that has made the most progress, around a fifth of its population work in agriculture - the EU average is only 5 percent.
Let's leave these examples at that. I'm sure that they have provided a sufficiently clear picture of the scale of the difficulties connected with the enlargement program and have made it obvious that sweeping internal reforms are needed to the EU.
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[Author: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schumann]
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