The Eastern Enlargement of the European Union to 10 new countries in 2004 will have important consequences. In the institutional field, the Nice Treaty already provided for the reforms which are necessary in order to make work a Europe with 25 member states. In the economic and social fields, the inequalities will rise inside the EU and the consequences for the Community Budget are under control until 2006 only. In the political field, the entry of these new member states will probably complicate the development of a powerful Europe, as showed by the Iraqi crisis. Beyond the enlargement and the European Convention, the Union will have to face three major challenges: managing the Convergence process between East and West; defining the limits of Europe; and allowing the emergence of a political Europe which could differ from a big enlarged Europe.

This content is published in French - L'élargissement à l'Est : un défi ou une chance ?