December 12, 1997 (Dingchou the winter months 13), the EU enlargement process. Reference December 12-13, Day, 1997, the EU summit in Luxembourg. Since then, the process of EU expansion to Eastern Europe officially began. Summit finalized in

eastward expansion of specific measures can be broadly grouped into the following areas: 1. foreign ministers of the 15 EU countries, 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus will be held on March 30, 1997 meeting to develop the plan of implementation of the framework of the enlargement process; 2. phases of accession negotiations, the $ dj��.c��m] European Union in April 1997 the first with Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary (L $ dj��.����T) (L $ dj��.����T ) Slovenia (L $ dj��.����T) (L $ dj��.����T) 6 countries, Estonia and Cyprus to start accession negotiations with "temporarily does not meet the conditions of accession negotiations", Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania, (L $ dj�� prepared to accept negotiations. ����T) (L $ dj��.����T) Lithuania, Latvia 5, in order to promote them have held and the EU accession negotiations at an early date; 3. establish the mechanism of the European Congress, the 15 EU countries and apply to join the European Union countries will meet in a consultation to strengthen cooperation on economic, political, diplomatic, security, justice and internal affairs field. The meeting decided that the First European Conference scheduled to be held in London on March 12, 1997, after participating States Summit and Foreign Ministers' annual meet once. EU plan to the General Assembly accomplishing a multilateral consultative forum.
EU leaders on the meeting evaluation. The current rotating presidency of the European Council in Luxembourg first Juncker said the meeting on the expansion to make a "historic decision", "sent a message" of hope and peace; European Commission President Jacques Santer that the meeting " paved the way for "the establishment of a unified Europe; conclusions of the presidency," declared the meeting "laid the foundation for the Union and the future of Europe as a whole, and start expanding opened up a new era that never end former separatist", "one EU patterns in the promotion of the (European) continent, is a guarantee of the future stability and prosperity ".
the eastward expansion of the European Union is a political issue, but it is also a very complex economic and technical issues. Level of economic development of the EU selected the six applicant countries far from the level of the EU's economic and 6 citizens of the country, the average annual income is now only 1/3 of the EU average income; approximately 27% of the proportion of the agricultural population of the six countries, The European Union is only 5.7%. As we all know, Germany, made in order to digest an East German has not got it together. Therefore, the EU has to be accepted the six lower economic level in East Germany than in the past partners is easier said than done.