A EUROPEAN ANNIVERSARY

It is exactly 10 years ago that nine former East European countries and Malta formally joined the E.U. This event has special resonance in Denmark, since the decision was agreed at the Copenhagen summit in December 2002, under the leadership of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The enlargement was widely approved all over the continent.

How times have changed. Today Europeans - and not just in Denmark - are fed up with the E.U. In particular, they are fed up with what they perceive as somewhat dodgy former East Europeans coming to steal their jobs and/or scrounge welfare benefits. The forthcoming elections to the European Parliament are likely to see big gains for Eurosceptic parties in all Member States.

I was always against the enlargement. I thought that the E.U. should decide what sort of club it wanted to be, and then invite other people to join. This was the so-called "deepening" tactic. However, that was trumped by the "broadening" tactic, in which the priority was new members. Ironically, the broadening tactic was supported most in countries such as the U.K., who saw it as a means of limiting the amount of influence the E.U. could have. What those countries did not foresee was that the new Member States would turn out to be among the most enthusiastic for "more E.U.", and that one vote amongst 25+ (even allowing for the E.U.'s qualified majority voting) had less weight than one amongst 15. The U.K. now want to roll back some of the recent developments, but they are stuck with the fact that the new countries all have a veto.

This year's anniversary looks like being a very sombre affair.

Walter Blotscher