Finland · 25th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement

On 1 May 2004, ten countries joined the European Union: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus. As a result, the European Union grew from 15 to 25 member states. It was the largest enlargement round in its history to date.

This was preceded by accession negotiations, during which the applicant countries had to meet the political and economic conditions for membership. These included democratic institutions, respect for the rule of law, the protection of minorities and a functioning market economy. The accession treaties were signed in Athens in 2003.

With the enlargement, the European Union incorporated several Central and Eastern European countries that had reorganized their political and economic systems after the end of communist rule. Malta and Cyprus were admitted at the same time. The enlargement changed the institutional composition of the Union and created new demands on its cooperation, as more countries with different historical experiences and economic conditions now had to make decisions together.

For Finland, the enlargement was part of the development of a Union of which the country has been a member since 1995. The admission of the ten countries represents the expansion of the area of European integration beyond the continent’s former division. The anniversary thus refers not only to a single accession, but to a political process that permanently changed the membership and internal structure of the European Union.