Progress Toward the Unification of Europe

The upcoming enlargement of the European Union (EU) by ten countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEECS) and the Baltics consisting of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, The Slovak Republic and Slovenia is a development of considerable importance. All ten countries are not expected to join the EU at the same time, but by the time they all have done so, it would have been the largest increase in the history of the EU. 'Progress Toward the Unification of Europe' focuses on the challenges that transition countries face in joining the EU. It also discusses the progress made by the CEECS in their overlapping transition and EU accession processes. This paper addresses the per capita distance between the CEECS and the EU and what it will take for real convergence. It also highlights the role of internal and external partners in the accession process.