Introduction

Abstract

In 2004, ten countries (referred to as the EU-10) joined the European Union (EU). They were quickly followed, in 2007, by two others. Ten of the twelve new members were former Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). They included Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia, all of which entered in 2004, as well as Romania and Bulgaria, the 2007 entrants (referred to as the EU-2). The other two countries that entered in 2004, Cyprus and Malta, are small and come from a different political and cultural background and thus will play a smaller role in this analysis. Much has been written about these countries’ transition from Communism to market economies and democratic governments and about the role of the EU in that process. (See, among many others, Vachudova, 2005; Schimmelfennig and Sedelmeier, 2005.) In addition, there have been several studies about the accession process itself, the long negotiations, and the impact on the countries both of the changes required for entry and of actual membership. (See especially Vassiliou, 2007.)