2004 enlargement of the European Union#A8 countries

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| above = Referendum results

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| caption1 = Czechia

| image2 = {{Composition bar|66.8|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption2 = Estonia

| image3 = {{Composition bar|83.8|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption3 = Hungary

| image4 = {{Composition bar|67.5|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption4 = Latvia

| image5 = {{Composition bar|91.1|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption5 = Lithuania

| image6 = {{Composition bar|53.6|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption6 = Malta

| image7 = {{Composition bar|77.6|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption7 = Poland

| image8 = {{Composition bar|93.7|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption8 = Slovakia

| image9 = {{Composition bar|89.6|100|hex=#9999FF}}

| caption9 = Slovenia

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{{see also|History of the European Union}}

With the end of World War II in May 1945, Europe found itself divided between a capitalist Western Bloc and a communist Eastern Bloc, as well as Third World neutral countries. The European Economic Community (EEC) was created in 1957 between six countries within the Western Bloc and later expanded to twelve countries across Europe. European communist countries had a looser economic grouping with the USSR known as Comecon. To the south there was a non-aligned communist federated country – Yugoslavia.

Between 1989 and 1991, the Cold War between the two superpowers was coming to an end, with the USSR's influence over communist Europe collapsing. As the communist states began their transition to free market democracies, aligning to Euro-Atlantic integration, the question of enlargement into the continent was thrust onto the EEC's agenda.

The Phare strategy was launched soon after to adapt more the structure of the Central and Eastern European countries (Pays d'Europe Centrale et Orientale (PECO)) to the European Economic Community. One of the major tools of this strategy was the Regional Quality Assurance Program (Programme Régional d'Assurance Qualité (PRAQ)) which started in 1993 to help the PECO States implement the New Approach in their economy.{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/enlargement/2004_and_2007_enlargement/e50004_en.htm|title=EURLex – e50004 – EN – EUR-Lex|publisher=Europa (web portal)|access-date=5 September 2017}}

The Acquis Communautaire contained 3,000 directives and some 100,000 pages in the Official Journal of the European Union to be transposed. It demanded a lot of administrative work and immense economic change, and raised major cultural problems – e.g. new legal concepts and language consistency problems.

Malta held a non-binding referendum on 8 March 2003; the narrow Yes vote prompted a snap election on 12 April 2003 fought on the same question and after which the pro-EU Nationalist Party retained its majority and declared a mandate for accession.

Poland held a referendum on 7 and 8 June 2003: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2973738.stm] voting Yes by a wide margin of about 77.5% with a turnout of around 59%.

The Treaty of Accession 2003 was signed on 16 April 2003, at the Stoa of Attalus in Athens, Greece, between the then-EU members and the ten acceding countries. The text also amended the main EU treaties, including the Qualified Majority Voting of the Council of the European Union. The treaty was ratified on time and entered into force on 1 May 2004 amid ceremonies around Europe.

European leaders met in Dublin for fireworks and a flag-raising ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin, the Irish presidential residence. At the same time, citizens across Ireland enjoyed a nationwide celebration styled as the Day of Welcomes. President Romano Prodi took part in celebrations on the Italian-Slovenian border at the divided town of Gorizia/Nova Gorica; at the German-Polish border, the EU flag was raised and Ode to Joy was sung; and there was a laser show in Malta, among the various other celebrations.[http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/04/30/eu.enlargement/index.html EU welcomes 10 new members], CNN 1 May 2004

Limerick, Ireland's third largest city, hosted Slovenia as one of ten cities and towns to individually welcome the ten accession countries. The then Slovenian Prime Minister Anton Rop was Guest Speaker at a business luncheon hosted by Limerick Chamber.

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class="toccolours wikitable" style="border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center; font-size:85%; width:99%“"
bgcolor="#ececec" ! style="text-align:left;" width="20%" | Event ! width="8%" | Czech Republic ! width="8%" | Slovakia
bgcolor="#ececec" ! colspan="18" |
style="text-align:left;" | EU Association Agreement 1 negotiations start	1990	1990
style="text-align:left;" | EU Association Agreement signature	4 October 1993	4 October 1993
style="text-align:left;" | EU Association Agreement entry into force	1 February 1995	1 February 1995
style="text-align:left;" | Membership application submitted	17 January 1996	27 June 1995
style="text-align:left;" | Council asks Commission for opinion	29 June 1996	17 July 1995
style="text-align:left;" | Commission presents legislative questionnaire to applicant	Mar 1996	Mar 1996
style="text-align:left;" | Applicant responds to questionnaire	Jun 1997	Jun 1997
style="text-align:left;" | Commission prepares its opinion (and subsequent reports)	15 July 1997	1997, 1998, 1999
style="text-align:left;" | Commission recommends granting of candidate status	15 July 1997	15 July 1997
style="text-align:left;" | European Council grants candidate status to ApplicantSee the 10th point of the [http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/conclusions/1993-2003/ Presidency Conclusions of the European Council in Luxembourg, 12–13 December 1997], European Council conclusions (1993–2003)	12 December 1997	12 December 1997
style="text-align:left;" | Commission recommends starting of negotiations	15 July 1997	13 October 1999
style="text-align:left;" | European Council sets negotiations start date	12 December 1997See the 11th point of the [http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/european-council/conclusions/1993-2003/ Presidency Conclusions of the European Council in Luxembourg, 12–13 December 1997], European Council conclusions (1993–2003)	10 December 1999
style="text-align:left;" | Membership negotiations start	31 March 1998	15 February 2000
style="text-align:left;" | Membership negotiations end	13 December 2002	13 December 2002
style="text-align:left;" | Accession Treaty signature	16 April 2003	16 April 2003
style="text-align:left;" | EU joining date	1 May 2004	1 May 2004
bgcolor="#ececec" | colspan="4" style="text-align:left;" | Acquis chapter
style="text-align:left;" | 1. Free Movement of Goods | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 2. Freedom of Movement for Workers | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 3. Right of Establishment & Freedom to provide Services | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 4. Free Movement of Capital | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 5. Public Procurement | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 6. Company Law | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 7. Intellectual Property Law | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 8. Competition Policy | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 9. Financial Services | bgcolor="#ff33ff" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 10. Information Society & Media | bgcolor="#ff0000" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 11. Agriculture & Rural Development | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 12. Food safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 13. Fisheries | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 14. Transport Policy | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ff0000" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 15. Energy | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 16. Taxation | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 17. Economic & Monetary Policy | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 18. Statistics | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 19. Social Policy & Employment | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 21. Trans-European Networks | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments | bgcolor="#ff0000" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 24. Justice, Freedom & Security | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 25. Science & Research | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 26. Education & Culture | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 27. Environment | bgcolor="#ff0000" | x | bgcolor="#ff33ff" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 28. Consumer & Health Protection | bgcolor="#ff0000" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 29. Customs Union | bgcolor="#ff8040" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 30. External Relations | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x | bgcolor="#ffff55" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 32. Financial Control | bgcolor="#ff0000" | x | bgcolor="#ff0000" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x | bgcolor="#ccffcc" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 34. Institutions | bgcolor="#ececec" | x | bgcolor="#ececec" | x
style="text-align:left;" | 35. Other Issues | bgcolor="#ececec" | x | bgcolor="#ececec" | x

¹ EU Association Agreement type: Europe Agreement for the states of the Fifth Enlargement.

valign="top" | colspan="3" | Situation of policy area at the start of membership negotiations according to the 1997 Opinions and 1999 Reports.

valign="top" | width="33%" | s – screening of the chapter fs – finished screening f – frozen chapter o – open chapter x – closed chapter | width="33%" | {{legend|aqua|generally already applies the acquis}} {{legend|#cfc|no major difficulties expected}} {{legend|#ff5|further efforts needed}} {{legend|#ececec|non-acquis chapter – nothing to adopt}} | width="33%" | {{legend|#ff8040|considerable efforts needed}} {{legend|#f00|very hard to adopt}} {{legend|#f3f|situation totally incompatible with EU acquis}}

{{Further|Freedom of movement for workers in the European Union}}

File:Polish Plumber.jpg

As of May 2011, there are no longer any special restrictions on the free movement of citizens of these new member states.

With their original accession to the EU, free movement of people between all 25 states would naturally have applied. However, due to concerns of mass migration from the new members to the old EU-15, some transitional restrictions were put in place. Mobility within the EU-15 (plus Cyprus) and within the new states (minus Cyprus) functioned as normal (although the new states had the right to impose restrictions on travel between them). Between the old and new states, transitional restrictions up to 1 May 2011 could be put in place, and EU workers still had a preferential right over non-EU workers in looking for jobs even if restrictions were placed upon their country. No restrictions were placed on Cyprus or Malta. The following restrictions were put in place by each country;[https://web.archive.org/web/20110609194443/https://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/eu-25-member-states-grapple-free-labour-market/article-117775 EU-25: Member States grapple with the free labour market], Euractive 17 August 2004

• Austria and Germany: Restriction on free movement and to provide certain services. Work permits still needed for all countries. In Austria, to be employed the worker needs to have been employed for more than a year in his home country prior to accession. Germany had bilateral quotas which remained in force.
• Cyprus: No restrictions.
• Malta: No restrictions on its workers, but does have the right to migration into the country.
• Netherlands: Initially against restrictions, but tightened up its policies in early 2004 and said it would tighten its policies if more than 22,000 workers arrived per year.
• Finland: 2 years of transitional arrangements where a work permit would be granted only where a Finnish national cannot be found for the job. Does not apply to students, part-time workers, entrepreneurs, people living in Finland for non-work purposes, people who were already living in Finland for a year or people who would be entitled to work anyway if they were from a third country.
• Denmark: Two years where only full-time workers can get a work permit, if they had a residence permit. Workers did not get welfare but restrictions only apply to wage earners (all the EU-10 citizens can set up a business).
• France: Five years of restrictions depending on sector and region. Students, researchers, self-employed and service providers were exempt from the restrictions.
• Spain: Two years.
• Portugal: Two years, annual limit of 6,500.
• Sweden: No restrictions.
• Czech Republic and Slovakia: No restrictions.
• Poland: Reciprocal limits, only British and Irish citizens had free access. Countries with looser or tighter limits face similar limits in Poland.
• Belgium, Greece and Luxembourg: Two years.
• United Kingdom: Welfare restrictions only, registration needed.
• Ireland: No restrictions.
• Hungary: Reciprocal limits for seven years.

Despite the fears, migration within the EU concerns less than 2% of the population.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080614213440/http://www.libertysecurity.org/article1874.html "Who’s afraid of the EU’s Largest Enlargement? Report on the Impact of Bulgaria and Romania joining the union on Free Movement of People"] (archived link), European Citizen Action Service 28 January 2008 However, the migration did cause controversy in those countries which saw a noticeable influx, creating the image of a "Polish Plumber" in the EU, caricaturing the cheap manual labour from A8 countries making an imprint on the rest of the EU. The extent to which E8 immigration generated a lasting public backlash has been debated. Ten years after the enlargement, a study showed that increases in E8 migrants in Western Europe over the last ten years had been accompanied by a more widespread acknowledgement of the economic benefits of immigration.[https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/britons-feel-better-about-immigration-when-eastern-europeans-settle-here-sjkdzhh0mpj Britons feel better about immigration when Eastern Europeans settle here], Anne-Marie Jeannet, The Times Following the 2007 enlargement, most countries placed restrictions on the new states, including the most open in 2004 (Ireland and the United Kingdom) with only Sweden, Finland and the 2004 members (minus Malta and Hungary).[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3513889.stm EU free movement of labour map], BBC 28 July 2008 But by April 2008, these restrictions on the eight members had been dropped by all members except Germany and Austria.File:Welcome-Europe.jpg commemorating Malta's entry into the EU]]

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia became members on 1 May 2004, but some areas of cooperation in the European Union will apply to some of the EU member states at a later date. These are:

• Schengen Area (see Enlargement of the Schengen Area; Cyprus is still not a member of the Schengen Area)
• Eurozone (see Enlargement of the eurozone; Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland are still not members of the Eurozone)

{{further|Cyprus in the European Union|Cyprus dispute#EU accession and the settlement process, 1997–present}}

File:European Union 15 Cyprus Locator (with internal borders).svg in EU 2004