Former communist nations mark their entry into EU
Expansion called 'reunification,' but concerns raised
BRUSSELS -- The European Union officially embraced 10 new members yesterday, giving birth to the largest single trading bloc in the world, representing a population of 455 million people and a quarter of the world's wealth.
The body's 25 heads of state gathered for celebrations in Dublin that included pageantry, poetry, and music. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland, who holds the EU's rotating presidency and who served as host for the ceremony, welcomed the new members and hailed a "day of hope and opportunity."
The historic enlargement marks a reunification of Europe, a continent bound by centuries of shared culture, of Christendom, and of a common destiny that had been torn apart by the last century's wars -- hot and cold. The 15 old EU members embraced eight new members to the east who emerged from the shadows of the former Soviet bloc -- Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia -- as well as two Mediterranean countries, Malta and Cyprus.
Under a rare burst of Irish sunshine, the leaders of the new member states were congratulated in a ceremony on the grounds of Phoenix Park, which the Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney reminded those in attendance is "named for the mythic bird that represents constant renewal."
Young people from all 25 countries presented their national flags, which were raised together alongside the blue and gold EU flag as a choir sang the EU anthem, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."
Ahern spoke of Europe's triumph over the past, saying, "From hatred there is now respect, from division there is union, and from dictatorship and oppression there is democracy."
Despite the festive feeling in Dublin, few leaders would disagree there still is plenty of work to be done in Brussels, the seat of the sprawling EU bureaucracy, as this once exclusive club of Western European states expanded.
In the tower of brown granite and gray reflective glass of the
The work crews were removing the tags off new green chairs around the teak conference table and shining the windows of the nine new simultaneous translation booths, bringing to 20 the number of languages spoken by the respective member states.
The software in the computer system was being reconfigured to reflect the 10 new countries on the EU's computerized voting board.
Beyond the weekend celebrations, there remains some trepidation and, in some corners, a distinct unease with what lies ahead for the EU. The most pressing issue is over the body's constitutional treaty, which will determine the structure of power and decision-making in the political entity.
The new EU constitution -- which its authors hope will be completed in June -- has been drafted with enlargement in mind. The constitution will replace all former EU treaties, streamlining policies and clarifying the separation of powers between the EU and its member states.
Constitutional negotiations ground to a halt over the proposed change in voting representation: Spain and Poland refused to allow Germany and France increased voting power to match their larger population size. The negotiations are expected to reopen later this month, and there could still be a lengthy process of referendums to approve the constitution in many member states.
There are concerns over vast disparities of wealth. The 10 new member states have an average of 48 percent of the gross domestic product of the 15 existing states, according to EU figures.
Questions remain about the EU's foreign and military policy and to what extent they will be coordinated or united, or whether nations will maintain their own independent foreign policies and risk deep divisions on issues such as support for the US-led war in Iraq, which caused a deep rift within Europe.
Washington has publicly welcomed the EU enlargement, saying Europe is once again "whole and free," as President Bush put it in a speech in Warsaw in early 2001. But after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq, there are also lingering suspicions in conservative circles in Washington about what shape the new EU's foreign policy will take, and to what extent it might seek to serve as a counterweight to what many Europeans see as US hegemony in the world.
In addition, there is certain to be wrangling among new and old members over the EU's estimated $100 billion annual budget.
Old member states, especially Spain and Ireland, which have built booming economies out of generous trade investments and agricultural subsidies that have come with EU membership, will have a hard time giving up those funds for the new members.
New members, such as Poland and Hungary, are anxious to see their promised share of the EU aid and hope the funds will also transform their struggling economies. Some of the Eastern European countries feel betrayed by compromises in the run-up to the accession that will postpone the largest subsidies for many years.
The 10 new members increase the total population by 20 percent, but the collective GDP and the budget are expected to increase only 5 percent. That has the 15 existing members worried about carrying the weight of their poorer neighbors. As economists point out, roughly the same-size economic pie that used to serve 15 will now have to provide for 25.
Katinka Barysch, chief economist in London for the Center for European Reform, said, "We have only a slightly larger pie that needs to be cut into a lot more pieces and serve a lot more people, and so there is bound to be disagreement. During the transition period, the atmospherics will not be good."
Globe correspondent Sarah Liebowitz contributed to this report. Material from Globe wire services and the BBC also was used.
