Today marks 20 years since the biggest wave of expansion of the European Union – Telegraph.md Press Agency

Today, 1 May, marks 20 years since the largest wave of enlargement of the European Union, known as the Big Bang enlargement, when ten countries joined the EU: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia , Slovenia, Hungary, Cyprus and Malta. Thus, the number of EU member states increased from 15 to 25, that of the official languages ​​used in the EU – from 11 to 21, while the population of the community block increased by 75 million.

Over the course of two decades, the 2004 enlargement contributed to raising the standard of living in the new member states and facilitated the economic modernization of these countries.

According to a study by the Polish Economic Institute, real GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (Central Europe) increased by 27 % more than it would have been in a scenario where these countries would not have joined the EU and would have developed independently.

Also, indicators regarding quality of life, schooling, per capita income, and standard of living have also increased significantly. All this is due to the benefits produced by the absorption of European funds and access to the EU Single Market, which allowed the creation of new business opportunities, determined considerable capital flows to the new member states and facilitated their integration into global supply chains. According to the same source, the inflow of foreign direct investment has cumulatively increased 21 times.

Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union on January 1, 2007, and Croatia – in 2013, benefiting from access to the Single Market, technical and financial assistance for the implementation of structural reforms.

Currently, the Republic of Moldova is one of the nine countries with candidate status for joining the European Union, and after the positive opinion of the European Council in December 2023, it is preparing for the opening of accession negotiations.

This March, the European Commission sent the draft negotiation framework to the European Council and published the communication on the reforms and policy review before the enlargement. According to the document, candidate states will be able to benefit from certain advantages similar to those of EU member states in some sectors, even before accession. For these benefits to materialize, both the EU and the candidate countries need to be well prepared, as the accession process is based on merit and a firm and lasting political commitment.