Germany · 25th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement

On 1 May 2004, ten countries joined the European Union: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus. The number of member states thereby increased from 15 to 25.

The accession was the result of a multi-year process of political and legal alignment. Among other things, the candidate countries had to demonstrate democratic institutions, the rule of law and a functioning market economy, as well as adopt the acquis of the European Union. The enlargement admitted countries that had previously belonged to different political and economic systems.

For many of the countries that joined, membership was a step towards permanent integration into European political and economic structures. At the same time, cooperation within the European Union was extended to a larger part of the continent. Romania and Bulgaria did not join until 2007; Croatia followed in 2013.

The anniversary thus commemorates an enlargement that durably changed the composition and political framework of the European Union. The German commemorative coin marks this shared European event on its 25th anniversary.