The European Union at the Time of Enlargement

Abstract

The accession of ten new countries on 1 May 2004 constitutes a crucial stage in the construction of the European Union. This enlargement is the biggest ever in absolute terms-adding 74 million inhabitants to the population of the Union, which now totals 455 million-and involves countries whose demographic regime differs markedly from that of the fifteen existing member countries. In eight of the ten new member countries-those of central and eastern Europe-population growth is negative or very low, and their fundamental demographic characteristics are a reminder that these countries belong to a region of the continent which was long regarded as "different". In some respects this is a novel situation. Hitherto, the countries that joined the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Union (EU) had, even before their accession, reduced the difference relative to the existing member countries. The immediate effect of this enlargement of the Union will be to rejuvenate the Community population but also to slow down its growth (1) .

A comparative analysis of population ageing in urban and rural areas of England and Wales, and Poland over the last three census intervals

“…It refl ects very diverse demographic settings determined by the differential onset of the demographic transition and changes in the relative importance of different factors affecting ageing populations in the twentieth century. The population of the European Community (now European Union -EU) has increased with each addition of member states since its inception in 1957 (Monnier, 2004). Monnier argued that population ageing is less pronounced in the new Central and Eastern European states on account of lower fertility and higher mortality than in the 15-state EU that they joined, although there is evidence of rapid ageing since the mid-1990s.…”

“…Monnier argued that population ageing is less pronounced in the new Central and Eastern European states on account of lower fertility and higher mortality than in the 15-state EU that they joined, although there is evidence of rapid ageing since the mid-1990s. Monnier (2004) indicated that older people (persons aged 60 years and over) account for some 16% of the enlarged EU's 455 million inhabitants, which compares with 7.5% of the world population and thus indicates the signifi cance of elderly people in the EU. This paper concentrates on population ageing and population dynamics in two European countries, England and Wales within the UK, and Poland: one an established and the other a new member of the EU, which are at different stages of the demographic transition.…”

Who was saving whom? The European Community and the Cold War, 1960s–1970s

“…But in 1973, this translated into a 33% increase in population, compared to only 20% in 2004. Gross National Product is another indicator for which relative growth in 1973 was much larger than in 2004 (Monnier, 2004). Enlargement added economic weight to the EC and helped it to tackle the challenges of the time.…”

A review of road structure data in six European countries

“…A recent and critical development has been the accession of ten new states in 2004 and a further two in 2007. These accessions have added 74 million people, 444 billion euro of extra Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 738,573 square kilometres of land area 1,2 . It creates the largest single market for trade and investment in the world exceeding that of the United States and Japan combined.…”