'eu enlargement' - tagged features

Another decision EU ministers took on Monday in Luxembourg was to sign a new agreement with Montenegro, the world's newest state which seceded from its union with Serbia in May 2006. The Stabilisation and Association Agreement is a first step on the road to EU membership. 

It's still some way off achieving that aim but it's certainly going the right way - the country's now boasting the kind of economic growth and stability that impresses Brussels. But it's not likely to be smooth sailing... Georgia's giant neighbour Russia is resisting the drive of its former regions to join NATO and the EU. Veteran journalist and Georgian First Lady Sandra Roelofs spoke to Network Europe's Richard Walker about the EU family and Georgia's aspirations to join it. 

While other former Soviet republics hope to become EU members, inclusion can also have its divisive effects… 17 years ago there was a bridge of flowers over the Prut River. In an outpour of emotion Romanians on both sides of the river reached out to each other as the border between the Republic of Moldova and Romania opened for the first time in a post-soviet world. Back then, many hoped they would be reunited, but despite the ethnic and linguistic bond between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, the two states have had a different post-communist history. 

This New Year's Day will be a historic one for Bulgarians and Romanians whose countries will finally join the European Union and enlarge the bloc to 27 member states. Romania's road to membership has been a bumpy one, but last September, the European Commission finally ruled that the country had met all the criteria required to join the block. The problem is that Romania is not joining the club at an ideal time. Enlargement is no longer popular in Western Europe, and many Europeans fear the competition of cheaper Romanian workers. There are also doubts as to whether Romania is really fit to join the EU. Romania's EU integration Minister, Anca Daniela Boagiu discussed these issues with Network Europe. 

For the people of Slovenia, January 1 means swapping their tolar for the euro. This tiny alpine country becomes the first of the EU newcomers to join the eurozone. The government has hailed it as Slovenia's biggest achievement since the former Yugoslav country joined the EU in 2004. Although Slovenia was never in serious danger of not meeting the requirements to adopt the Euro, there were still plenty of adventures along the way. 

Opinion polls show that 65 per cent of the population of the Republic of Moldova favor European integration. In the Pouchkine park in the heart of the capital, Chisinau, many strollers told us they will be like children in front of a candy store, when their neighbor Romania joins the European club next year. 

For weeks now the European Union has debated about what should be done with EU candidate Turkey which is refusing to open its ports to Cypriot ships. Should the EU partially suspend accession talks or totally freeze negotiations? The European Commission recommended this week a suspension of talks on eight of the 35 "chapters", or policy areas, into which the accession talks are divided. The final decision though will be taken by EU heads of states later this month. And it will be a difficult one, as member countries are divided over Turkey. Sweden for instance warned that sending negative signals to Ankara could be a "strategic calamity", while Finland, the current president of the EU welcomed the partial freeze. And so does Cyprus, as the Cypriot Foreign Minister told Network Europe. 

While the number of Turks supporting EU membership has been steadily falling over the past year, hitting an all time low of about 30% - a public opinion survey just released in Poland this week suggests that people there are head over heals in love with the European Union. Even former Eurosceptics seemed to have been reconciled with the EU. What are some of the reasons behind this positive trend? 

Turkey's chances of joining the exclusive EU club took another downturn this week. The issue of whether Turkey joins the EU has become one of the most divisive issues in european political life. The question many want answered is if it were to become a member, would Turkey become more European or would, as some western Europeans fear, Europe become less secular? The European commission released a much anticpated report on Turkey's accession progress on Wednesday and it didn't make for cosey bed-time reading for Ankara. Turkey was attacked on its human rights, religious freedoms and its attitude towards the divided island of Cyprus. There wasn't a call for a suspension of talks but the report's bound to fuel speculation that Turkey's whole bid is going off the rails. 

There's been much talk about what EU integration will bring to Romania. Money of course is one thing. There'll be more funds than Romania can probably absorb. Then there's a the huge number of regulations and standards that must be complied with. That's what the average Romanian knows about the European Union. What fewer Romanians ask themselves is what Romania will bring to the EU. 

Do Europeans need or want to get any closer together? As romania and Bulgaria prepare to join the EU in 2 months time we look at how they're being welcomed, or not. As the banlieues burn we look at inner city deprivation and at what's being done to stop the rot. Europe's getting bigger all the time and our leaders in Brussels are keen for it to keep expanding. And there are plenty of states keen to join. Turkey and several Balkan states are currently front of the queue to start negotiations. What some predict will happen then is a mass-migration as east europeans seek better wages as they go west. So what do europeans think of the expansion and the prospect of the continent experiencing a massive labour force on the move? Network Europe's reporters have been out on the streets of the capitals to find out. 

The United Kingdom recently announced it would not be extending its "open door" policy to workers from Romania and Bulgaria, when they join the European Union in just under two months' time. That move comes in reaction to the phenomenal influx of workers following the last EU enlargement in 2004, with actual numbers far, far exceeding official estimates. And the biggest wave of immigration in British history is really making its mark on the country. 

Since Spain opened its labour market to workers from the new EU member states Poles have been searching for jobs there. But Spaniards are beginning to fear the influx of migrant workers more and more, despite the fact unemployment between July and September hit its lowest point in 27 years. Poles used to take up just seasonal jobs, but now, many of them have decided to stay for good. Netwrok Europe has been meeting some migrant workers on their tea breaks. 

he United Nations and the European Union may well turn to Turkey to participate in the formation of a peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon. However, despite Turkey's political importance the latest Eurobarometer survey indicates that almost half of all Europeans are against Turkey joining the European Union. There are however wide discrepancies between member states. More than 80 % of Austrians are hostile to Turkish EU membership, closely followed by over 60% of Germans and Luxembourgers, Cypriots and Greeks - while only 23 % in Spain are against the idea of Turks joining the Union. But how is the mood in Turkey and how do Turks feel about joining the European Union? It now seems support for EU membership is dwindling rapidly. For the first time, according to a recent Turkish poll, supporters of EU entry are now a minority. That's a change from last year when Turkey was given a firm date to start accession talks and more than seventy per cent of Turks were in favor of joining. So why do Turks no longer see the EU as an attractive eldorado? 

Since its Orange Revolution two years ago, Ukraine has declared it's desire to join the European Union. "The EU must be open to those who have clearly chosen their future and are prepared to share the continent of Europe", Ukrainian president Viktor Yuschenko said recently. More on Ukraine's aspirations from Radio Ukraine International. 

The EU's new member states may be enthusiastic about further eastward expansion. But their enthusiasm is not shared by the old EU members. Germany, which will assume the rotating EU presidency next January, is one of them. Another is France. Radio France Internationale spoke to Philippe Moreau Defarges, senior researcher at France's Institute for International Relations. 

Pro-enlargement politicians believe that successive EU hopefuls should not be left in the waiting room for too long. Otherwise they might leave the road of democratic development and even embrace some form of an authoritarian regime. Slovakia, whose EU train almost got derailed under former pro-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, knows the risks involved. Radio Slovakia International reports. 

This week the European Commission gave candidate countries Bulgaria and Romania both a red card and a green light. The Commission said both nations could join the European Union on January 1st, provided they step-up reforms in a number of areas. Failure to do so would mean delayed entry into the EU. The Commission will assess their progress in autumn. The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said both nations need to show clear results in order to avoid a delay in joining the EU. In Bulgaria's case, corruption and organized crime have been singled out as areas in need of urgent attention. Radio France International reports from Sofia. 

Corruption, organized crime and money laundering are Bulgaria's and the European Commission's biggest headache. Romania still needs to prove that its recent crackdown on corruption and crime is irreversible. But the four red flags it received from the European Commission were all in technical areas such as agriculture. Radio Romania International reports from Bucharest.