1/5/2004
Historic Day As Union Enlarges To Embrace Ten New Member States

On 1st May ten new member states joined the European Union, marking a gigantic step in the history and development of the European Continent. The accession of eight former Communist states finally brings to an end fifty years of political division that followed the Second World War. Most political leaders have welcomed the moment, underlining the economic, social and cultural benefits that enlargement is likely to bring. President of the European Council, Mr Bertie Ahern, said that this enlargement of the Union was about "opening minds as well as borders."

President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, said: "Today we welcome into the EU family 10 new member countries and 75 million new EU citizens. Five decades after our great project of European integration began, the divisions of the Cold War are gone once and for all and we live in a united Europe. It took courage, determination and a lot of effort from the peoples and political forces in the new Member States to get this far. It took vision and generosity from the peoples and leaders in the current EU.

This week, I will have the enormous pleasure of welcoming 10 new colleagues into the European Commission. They and their fellow citizens bring to the Union the cultures and diversity of 10 countries with distinct historical roots stretching back through the centuries.

Today, the peoples of Europe are celebrating EU enlargement in a series of cultural events from the west coast of Ireland to the eastern border of Poland, and from Valletta in the south to the northernmost tip of Finland. Today Europeans are celebrating the fact that they are no longer kept apart by phoney ideological barriers.

In a statement from Brussels to mark 1st May European Commissioners Pascal Lamy and Danuta Hubner said, "The enlargement taking place today is indeed an extraordinary achievement, and arguably Europe's most important ever. It is geopolitical in scale. The EU is now the world's third biggest territorial unit: with 450 million inhabitants, we are far smaller than China and India, but far bigger than the United States, our Russian neighbour and Japan.

"The EU already accounts for 20% of world trade. Enlargement will strengthen this economic base commensurately, perhaps not straightaway - given the development gap between the old and the new Member States but it will, we are sure, happen over the next decade.

"The next question is: what can and should we now do together? Many challenges remain ahead of us … yet popular European-wide wisdom allows us to be optimistic: who has never heard that “united we are stronger”, “many men, many minds”, “several eyes see more than only one”…? The 25 Member states will work together to address the EU’s current issues, its future challenges but also to set its new targets and re-define its raison d’être.

"The whole EU must now be fuelled by debate, and it must at the same time be ready to make the necessary compromises which result from a genuine process of common decision-making.

"In this re-united Europe we believe the time has come to tackle one of our big deficits, that of communication. We hope this letter will stimulate a debate among European citizens on the Europe we want for the future. Let’s seize the opportunity together to give Europe a human face."

President of the European Council, Mr. Bertie Ahern, said that the EU's new members would broaden and strengthen a Union that is different from any other coming together of countries.

"Over the last fifteen years, enlargement has been talked about so often that we run the risk of taking its significance for granted. In a modern world where people tend to use the work 'historic' far too readily, this is a truly historic development. It is a development which we should celebrate and enjoy", said Mr. Ahern in Prague recently.

"The ten new accession states bring with them new languages and new cultures. They bring with them also a new consciousness of, and fresh approach to, the European Union. Enlargement is about opening minds as well as borders. The new member states will bring a new vision to the European Union. This vision was shaped and determined by unique experience. The contribution that the new member states will bring can only help to make the European Union stronger and broaden its perspective on the world".

Mr. Ahern said that membership of the EU was not a guarantee of success but an opportunity. The EU provides the means to a better future but requires the will to make it happen, and an enlarged Union will require all to work harder to ensure success.

Celebrations are being held all over the continent to welcome Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia as new members of the European Union. Heads of State and Government from all the EU countries will attend a special flag-raising ceremony in Dublin as part of this historic occasion.