Brussels, 30/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - The presidents of the three Community institutions and Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle have hailed the ten year anniversary of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta joining the EU on 1 May 2004.
“From 15 - suddenly there were 25, and finally Europe had become 'Europe' again, and a page was turned for good”, said European Council President Herman Van Rompuy during a speech in Prague. In Van Rompuy's view, 1 May 2004 was not really a “return to Europe” (the region was totally European in essence), “it was an anchoring - an anchoring in freedom”.
“Ten years on [after the 2004 enlargement], Europe is stronger, richer and safer - politically, economically and culturally”, said European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. “Enlargement has made the EU the world's biggest single market. Increased trade between member states brings new jobs, new investment, more growth. Enlargement has also further strengthened Europe's weight in the world”, he added.
In the view of European Parliament President Martin Schulz, this anniversary is a “strong reminder of the value of unity and cooperation at a time when many populists, demagogues and xenophobes are trying to undermine trust in our European project”.
For his part, Füle - who himself comes from one of the countries that joined the EU in 2004, the Czech Republic - recalled that enlargement was “in Europe's DNA”. “It is a key policy of the EU, the most powerful instrument of transformation, (…) the most effective tool we have to strengthen security”, he said. He recalled that enlargement benefitted the countries that join and the countries that are already members, and that countries still request membership.
In Füle's opinion, it is out of the question to set supporters of enlargement against those who support deepening the EU. “It must be ensured that the two policies which accompanied the EU from the very beginning - enlargement on one side and deepening of the integration on the other side, interact also in the future in a reinforcing way to the benefit of the EU”, he stated. (CG)