Brussels, 29/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - In a speech to mark the first anniversary of the 1 May 2004 enlargement of the Euroepn Union, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, said on 29 April that the enlarged EU had not only gained in size, but also in quality since the accession of ten new countries had already strneghtned the position of the EU in several domains. 'This enlargement has brought new quality to Community life and a new vision of Europe. With 25 members - 27 in around two years' time - the EU is strnthenbing its position on the internatianl stage. This enlargement has alreadyhelped consolidate political ane economic stability,m demoscracy and human rights in Europe,' said Barroso. 'It shows us that profound changes can be achieved in a short time: setting up a market economy, reinforcing the principle of a state based on the rule of law, creating democratic institutions in line with European standards, transposing Community rules and above all feeling European without losing sight of the fact that we are also Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech, French or Finnish.' Mr Barroso said 'the question raised in the early 1990s - do we widen or deepen Europe - no longer arises. Together, we are building a strong Union in order to make a bigger success of the European project'. The President said the new Member States were already very well integrated into the EU and the distrinction between new and old Member States no longer makes sense. 'For me, this enlargement felt like a real reunion of members of the same family who had been broken up against their will and who, after many years of separation, were getting together again to live and work side-by-side and put their divisions behind them. It was a reunification not only of nations and peoples, but also of cultures and ways of looking at the world,' he said. 'The arrival of ten new Member States bridged that artificial divide between Eastern and Western Europe. But the enlarged Europe has not closed in on itself. It is open to all countries which belong in Europe, subscribe to our values and meet the Union's accession conditions. This last enlargement has prompted the EU to adopt a new approach to Eastern Europe, in particular the “neighbourhood policy”, which is still very much an open field. It also requires greater solidarity between Member States, one of the key principles underpinning the EU. We must strive for an open Europe, a Europe of dialogue. In each of the 25 countries work has begun on explaining and educating the public. This task is being pursued. It is by establishing a culture of dialogue and openness that we can improve ourselves. But it is also very true that we are still getting to know each other, getting to grips with the new realities of our Community. And that will take time. We must be patient and give ourselves the time to learn about and get to know each other.' In terms of the future, 'we must go forward with confidence and openness. Together, we are stronger in the face of the major challenges in today's globalised world.'
Barroso's spokesperson, Françoise Le Bail, told reporters that enlargement had already brought economic benefits particularly in terms of growth, because we see that the new Member States saw growth of 5% last year (Latvia even had growth of 8.5%), well above growth levels in the 15 former Member States. With its new Member States, the EU had also been able to boost exports by 20%, she added. The fears of some Member States (before enlargement) of being swept out of the market by total free trade with the new Member States, particularly in terms of farming, did not materialise. On the other hand, farmers in central Europe have seen their incomes increase by 50% according to Eurostat statistics, said Le Bail. She stressed that the fears of some former Member States of a potential explosion in migration from new to old Member States had not come to pass. Like during the previous rounds of enlargement, said Le Bail, there were no floods of people flocking to the EU15.