From CNN.com.
EU welcomes 10 new members
Prodi: Largest-ever expansion heals Cold War divisions
Saturday, May 1, 2004 Posted: 12:39 AM EDT (0439 GMT)
(http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/WORLD/europe/04/30/eu.enlargement/vert.malta.fireworks.jpg)
Fireworks and searchlights light up Malta's harbor Friday night.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- Capitals across Europe celebrated Friday night and into Saturday morning as the European Union marked the largest expansion in its history.
Ten new members, eight of them formerly under communist rule, joined the EU at midnight CET (2200 GMT), but celebrations began earlier in countries farther east. The accession unites Eastern and Western Europe, patching rifts left by World War II and the Cold War.
The new member states are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The additions bring the EU's population to 450 million, making it the world's largest trading bloc.
At the Italian-Slovenian border, European Commission President Romano Prodi presided over a reunification ceremony in the Italian town of Gorizia and the Slovenian town of Nova Goricia, divided by an iron fence since the end of World War II.
Prodi said, in Italian, "Today's enlargement is the fifth and the largest in the history of the union, and I am convinced that it will not be the last. Other European countries and nations will decide to join our undertaking until the whole continent is unified in peace and democracy," Reuters reported.
In Poland, the largest new EU member, a chorus sang in a Warsaw square and a video screen showed scenes of Poland's climb from post-World War II destruction through communist domination to democratic rule.
President Aleksander Kwasniewski told the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are making history ... Today our dream is becoming reality. Poland is returning to its European family," Reuters reported.
At the German-Polish border, the hoisting of the EU flag was accompanied by fireworks and the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
A two-hour concert at the Berliner Konzerthaus and an open-air stage in Warsaw symbolically linked the two cities, and featured performers from the newest EU states.
In Malta, part of "Ca Ira (It Will be Fine)," a new opera by former Pink Floyd singer Roger Waters, was accompanied by lasers, floodlights and fireworks. Giant images were projected on the city's historic fortress walls, and boats with sails representing EU members' flags floated below.
The Berlin, Warsaw and Malta concerts were part of the celebration arranged by the EU, and were carried on live television in 30 countries.
"We are not expecting charity," one Lithuanian reveler speaking English told Reuters. "We are hard-working people, and we will work, we will catch up with the rest of Europe, and quite soon we will do it."
In Cyprus, Greek Cypriots celebrated the event, but Reuters reported that reaction was muted in the island's north, where the breakaway Turkish cypriot state was left behind after a reunification vote failed last week.
On Saturday, the leaders of all 25 EU countries will gather for a largely ceremonial summit in Dublin. The Republic of Ireland holds the six-month rotating EU presidency.
On the eve of the celebrations, Prodi declared that the divisions of the Cold War had been removed once and for all.
"We are bringing into the EU family 10 new member states and 75 million new EU citizens," the UK Press Association quoted Prodi as saying.
"Five decades after our great project of European integration began, we are celebrating the fact that Europeans are no longer kept apart by artificial ideological barriers.
"We share the same destiny and we are stronger when we act together. I urge all Europeans to join in celebrations of this astonishing achievement."
The commission is spending about 6 million euros ($7 million) on the enlargement celebrations.
The EU began with six member states, becoming nine in 1973 with the arrival of the UK, Ireland and Denmark.
(http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/WORLD/europe/04/30/eu.enlargement/story.eu.cake.hungary.ap.jpg)
Hungarian confectioner Lajos Kopcsik decorates a giant EU cake next to sugar euro coin for weekend festivities.
Greece followed in 1981, and Portugal and Spain in 1986. Austria, Sweden and Finland made in 15 in 1995.
"May 1 will be a milestone in the history of Europe," EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said.
"It is Europe's response to the end of the Cold War and an opportunity to heal the wounds of the past, wounds of war and dictatorship," Reuters quoted Verheugen as saying in Warsaw.
The enlargement crowns efforts by Poland and Germany to overcome the past. They are the largest old and new members of the EU, with about 80 million and 40 million citizens, respectively.
Originally posted by Janos
No it isn't.
Originally posted by vyper
[q]free trade within the EU[/q]
My dear Tiara, if all this was, was a matter of trade then I'd be perfectly happy. Unfortunately we know what it's about - a unified Europe as one nation. Which, I should tell you, is not a popular idea here in Britland. Well, unless your name is Tony and you plan to be a key player in it.
Tiara sprouted this out
Well, why should I care what you Brits think? Really, after the past few years of arrogance towards the mainland it means exactly **** to us if you want to be excluded from the EU in its entirety for all we care.
Originally posted by Janos
Tiara and vyper: Free trade is one thing. Whether this makes EU strong and politically capable is another.
Originally posted by Tiara
Really, the EU isn't that old yet. It's bound to have serious flaws like any nation has the first few decades of it's existence. You can't expect an entire continent of different nations to magically conform to a single nation. It's not like we are a recently colonized continent like the US was.
I am a federalist, and have now more problems than ever. How can we possibly elect a governing element that is democratic and pays attention to 25 different countries? Can the good of the union surpass good of a single country (which would almost inevitable happen to be someone minor one)? Actually, I would be all in for somekind of Scandinavian/Fennoscandian Union, and let's take Baltic states in it also.
Originally posted by Tiara
That would so work against everything that would make Europe even a little bit powerfull :p It's all or nothing.
Originally posted by Janos
what
I mean, what. Free trade is all and well, but steadily increasing the number of different countries in an union that should work even somehow can't but just backfire. The pre-enlargement status of the EU was already quite poor, as everyone just played the domestic issue card all the time (Italy shooting down WRITTEN PROMISES and so on). Even though I believe that this propably will benefit everyone economically, I think that politically this will further weaken the EU. Noticed the breakdown in inter-EU relations before the current Iraq quagmire? Imagine such things on larger scale. Ugh.
Originally posted by vyper
Because we do more trade with mainland Europe, than mainland Europe does with us. :D
As for our past few years of arrogance, I'd like you to explain what you are referring to? We're the ones having our fishing fleet raped for the sake of mainland Europe. We're the ones who's own government can be over-ruled by a mainland european court. We're the ones who have ended up with asylum seekers that france let through so they wouldn't have to deal with them.
I think we're the ones up **** creek to be honest. Britain will quite happily have nothing to do with your new "nation", because we cherish some ideals Europe doesn't. I'd start with freedom for one. (and this is absolutely NO reference to any allegiance to the US, the war on terror (!), the invasion of iraq, or another ****e that Europeans have a go at the Brits over)
Originally posted by vyper
[q]You don't 'just form a world power'.[/q]
You aren't meant to be forming one in the first place you're supposed to be forming a market place. :lol:
Originally posted by vyper
[q]That clear enough?[/q]
You just dont. get. it.
The EU was never meant to be anything more than a free market bloc - nothing more, not the foundation for a superpower.
Jesus, talk about delusions of grandeur.
Originally posted by vyper
[q]That clear enough?[/q]
You just dont. get. it.
The EU was never meant to be anything more than a free market bloc - nothing more, not the foundation for a superpower.
Jesus, talk about delusions of grandeur.
Originally posted by Stunaep
Well, yeah, actually the thing that the EU doesn't seem to understand, is that you cannot force standards on 30 countries of *very* different backgrounds. Naturally that causes problems. Standards on this big a scale don't work. The interests of all the countries are too different.
Originally posted by Nico
:wtf:
The countries that want to join the EU are not forced to do so. They know what they'll be asked to do, they know both the pros and the cons of the deal. Force standards? No: the countries CHOOSE those standards. Colossal difference, my friend.
Originally posted by Stunaep
1) Yes, only a good deal of those standards were made *after* the decisions to join the EU were made, signed, and delivered. Same thing as with vyper's problem - once you're in, there's pretty much nothing you can do, if the EU screws you over.
2) Well, actually, there is, most of the more stupid limits can safely be ignored (I'd like to see the bloke who comes to check, if we've renamed our 2.5% milk to "a milky drink", or some such stupidity).
3) Same with, for example, the Euro. Swedes were given the option to choose whether they want the Euro or not. We? Our politicians don't have the spine to hold a referendum. So they simply take it matter-of-factly.
4) But don´t get me wrong here, I'm still pro-EU. It'll definately enrich the cultural diversity of Europe, even if it messes up the life quality here in Estonia for a few years. And this at least gives us some degree of certainty, that the russians won't just come in 5 years and screw us over (with their "attack and liberate the neighboring countries that treat russians badly" statement they've made and all), and travelling certainly becomes easier. To me it's choosing between a bad option, and a mediocre option, with the possiblility of becoming a good option.
Originally posted by vyper
[q]free trade within the EU[/q]
Unfortunately we know what it's about - a unified Europe as one nation. Which, I should tell you, is not a popular idea here in Britland. Well, unless your name is Tony and you plan to be a key player in it.
Originally posted by Nico
3) Well, even if you say so, the Euro is a good thing, the strongest currency nowadays, btw. I just don't get people who are against it.
The general consensus here is that EU objectives should be adapted to the country and the times. If we were to follow the directives to the letter, France economical situation would only get worse. The EU deal works fine for an economicaly sane country. Which is not the case right now for about all the members of the Union.
All that to say that you can't expect things to get brighter right away, you can't expect, maybe, any good outcome out of this for the time being. It's a long due process that will probably disgust most people, but I do believe it's going the right way, we just have to be patient.
Originally posted by SadisticSid
Actually France benefits a lot from the EU's common agricultural policy and its subsidies
Originally posted by Stunaep
PS: UE? Union Éuropean? I should probably hone my french skills.
Originally posted by Nico
You're crazy. All your argumentation is shot down by the simple fact that this statement is so very wrong it becomes funny. Ask José Bové about it. If you don't know him, lucky you, tho.
Just as an exemple, EU policy on, say, cheese, is completly killing the exportation business because of lots of stupid limits and requirements. Cattle raisers in France are completly crushed by their eastern colleagues. Crop producers have to face cheaper producers from, again, eastern countries, which are favorized by the UE policies and which comepltly holds France down on that matter. etc etc.
Originally posted by Nico
New markets? Not quite, let's take Poland, we were already the first foreign contractors there, before even the States. It doesn't change anything to us.
And I don't share your hatred for Russia, I'm kindda saddened by the rampent poverty those people suffer from.
It's only good for nations with no political, economic or diplomatic power. It's for ****ty little nations who want to feel important.
Originally posted by Janos
Kode, now we just need to grab Lt. Cannonfodder and Gortef with us and head for Estonia to sexually harass and molest Stunaep.