Coming to Terms with Accession No. 2

This issue of the EPI Forum Report presents three different perspectives on the contentious issue of how the EU and the Central and East European (CEE) countries should come to terms with accession. The problem of how to distribute the costs and benefits of the enlargement has received much attention, but, argues Jurgen von Hagen, the problem inherent in the uncertainty of how effectively, and how enthusiastically, the CEE countries can implement EU legislation, has been neglected.

Von Hagen suggests enlargement should be a gradual process, with CEE countries building the credibility of their commitments to establishing market economies and there by reducing this uncertainty. Regional cooperation within CEE is one way in which the credibility of the CEE countries can be enhanced and the accession process facilitated. Andrej Kumar argues that the key question for the CEE countries is how the enlargement of the EU could contribute to their ultimate goal of catching up with the most developed economies in the world. The EU faces a similar challenge - it cannot afford to enter into the next phase of global competition without integrating the CEE countries.

Finally, Elzbieta Kawecka-Wyrzykowska presents the view that the enlargement of the EU, by creating a larger common market, is clearly beneficial both for the current members of the EU and for the CEE countries. At the same time, there are overwhelming political and security reasons for the incorporation of the Eastern countries; only this can ensure a stable and safe European Union in the future.