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The paper addresses the question how concrete interests have shaped the outcome of the accession negotiations between the European Union and the Central East European applicant countries. Despite the general principle according to which the acquis communautaire is binding for both current and new member states from the date of enlargement on, a number of relevant exceptions have been made. In our paper we address two such exceptions in the fields of competition policy and free movement of labor. We ask about the rationale for the transition periods in these areas, the influence of interest groups, and draw conclusions concerning the overall balance of forces in an enlarged European Union.