79

A large majority (61%) of the citizens of the ten countries to be admitted into the European Union support the admission of their nation into the EU, compared to a smaller majority (51%) among existing EU member countries. Such support hides many fears expressed in opinion polls or as seen in the low turnout in accession referendums. This paper summarizes and challenges these fears. European history since World War II as well as the history of previous enlargements, which included relatively poor countries, demonstrate that on the economic and monetary side, a fairly rapid and successful catch-up process can be expected, helped by the structural reforms that were quickly and firmly introduced in the ten countries and monitored by the European Commission. On the political side, there is no evidence that the citizens or their governments will be less European than those of the “old” Europe. However, progress toward a political union may be made more difficult if coherent institutional reforms are not introduced within the EU. It may be that the main challenge for the EU will not be enlargement but transatlantic relations. American unilateralism, if pursued, would require a rapid economic catch-up process by the ten countries as well as their full participation in the euro to strengthen the European voice in the world.