Slovakia · 25th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement of the EU

The enlargement of the European Union in 2004 was connected with the political changes in Europe following the end of the Cold War. After the collapse of the communist systems in Central and Eastern Europe, several states sought closer political and economic ties with the Western European democracies. The EU offered them a long-term prospect of accession and linked it to the obligation to undertake comprehensive reforms.

The conditions for accession included stable democratic institutions, respect for the rule of law and human rights, and the protection of minorities. They also included a functioning market economy and the ability to adopt the Union’s common rules and political obligations. To this end, the candidate states had to adapt their legislation to EU law in numerous areas. Accession was therefore the result of a multi-year process of political and legal adjustment.

The enlargement further overcame, at an institutional level, the division of Europe that had existed after the Second World War and during the Cold War. For the acceding states, membership meant, among other things, participation in the European internal market, in common political decision-making processes, and in cooperation programmes. At the same time, the Union itself changed: its institutions, decision-making procedures, and the distribution of common funds had to be adjusted to the larger number of member states.

The 25th anniversary provides an opportunity to examine this transformation from a Slovak perspective. The coin does not refer to a single person or building, but to a political process that permanently shaped the position of Slovakia in Europe. The choice of theme points to the development from a state outside the European Communities to a member of the European Union and recalls the long-term political efforts that preceded this accession.