ENLARGEMENT AND AGRICULTURE

Enlargement of the European Union (EU) to include 10 new Member States from 1 May 2004 is a historic milestone in the remaking of Europe after centuries of destructive divisions engendered by war and ideological conflict. Europe as a whole will gain from an assured political stability and security, as well as from the expansion of the internal EU market from 380 to 454 million people. This larger market will also offer new and important opportunities for the development of European agriculture and of the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP).