European Union Set for Historic Expansion

The European Union is poised for a "big bang" enlargement, with 10 countries expected to join by 2004, in an historic expansion that will finally bring Europe's cold war divisions to an end.

The expansion, on Wednesday recommended by the European Commission, is the largest since the European Union's first institutions were established more than 50 years ago and the first to include countries once dominated by the former Soviet Union.

It will increase the number of countries in the EU from 15 to 25 even though the EU's institutions are still unprepared to cope.

"It is an historic moment for us," said Romano Prodi, Commission president.

"This enlargement is unlike any other," said Günter Verheugen, enlargement commissioner and one of the driving forces behind the EU's eastward expansion.

The Commission, however, left unclear the status of Turkey, a candidate member since 1999 that has yet to start official negotiations with Brussels - though it said it would increase pre-accession aid to the country.

"This falls well short of our expectations," said Mesut Yilmaz, deputy prime minister responsible for Turkey's EU preparations. "It is a picture dominated by shades of grey. We expect this deficiency to be rectified at Copenhagen."

Diplomats said Turkey's status may be decided at a EU summit in Copenhagen in December.

The diplomats maintained that much depended on the outcome of Turkey's elections in November as well as United Nations-led talks over the divided island of Cyprus, one of the 10 countries named by the Commission.

The others countries are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta.

The European Commission yesterday said 10 countries would be ready to complete accession negotiations by the end of the year and to join by 2004. It even suggested Bulgaria and Romania could join by 2007.

Several commissioners, led by Frits Bolkestein, who is responsible for the internal market, said many of the candidate countries would not be ready to withstand the pressures of competition once they join.

Mr Bolkestein said he wanted extra safeguards to remain in place for up to seven years after new members join. These safeguards would protect member states against economic instability or disruption to the labour markets.

Mr Verheugen said the Commission had already recommended sufficient safeguards that would last two years upon entry.

Special monitoring mechanisms would be established next year to ensure candidates countries would tackle serious shortcomings between ending negotiations and joining.

These include corruption, economic crime, weak judiciaries and difficulties in implementing the EU's acquis communautaire, the 80,000 pages of legislation applicant countries are supposed to adopt and implement.