Eeuropean Union Enlargement : An Historic Milestone in the Process of European Integration

Ten countries with economies in transition and two market economies are negotiating full membership with the EU. The purpose of this paper is to consider the economic dimension of the forthcoming enlargement of the EU, especially on the characteristics of the economies in transition and on the economic implications of the enlargement for EU agriculture. The transition of the CEECs from a centrally planned to a market economy, although already in progress for a decade, is far from complete. Uneven macroeconomic developments in the various countries can to some extent be attributed to their individual situation at the start of the transformation. However, they also reflect the varying extent to which institutional reform programmes have been implemented in these countries