20 years since the European Union enlargement - a personal perspective
On May 1st 2004 , the blue flag with stars became a permanent fixture in 10 new countries, including Poland. The expansion of the Union - as Grega Ferenc from the ifo Institute – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research in Dresden stated in an interview for Deutsche Welle (link in the bottom of the article) - was a success for both the old EU countries and the newcomers. On the occasion of this anniversary, we read and heard many analyses, mainly focusing on the economic and political dimensions.
Far less attention was given to the cultural and... emotional aspects. And from this perspective, the EU enlargement started - at least in Poland - much earlier.
After Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary joined NATO in 1999, all eyes turned to the accession to the EU. We learned about the Union at school, its institutions, and ways of functioning; we participated in student European olympiads; we read about the opportunities that freedom of movement of people, services, goods, and capital would bring.
As a child and later as a teenager, I remember
As teenagers and young adults, we were eager for the European Union. It was a topic of our daily conversations. The accession to the EU was also a wider cultural phenomenon: products and company brands with the "Euro" suffix, or graphics with gold stars on a blue background. We lived and breathed it. Coming from a mid-sized town in the Warsaw region, I saw that this anticipation was genuine (though not without concerns).
Seeing what the world looked like at that time, we, the youngsters, also saw very clearly the opportunities that the EU opened up for us. And we knew how to seize them, thanks in part to good theoretical preparation (all this abstract talks at schools, i.e. what are the organs of the EU, name the types of funds, what is the Erasmus program) and the ability to find opportunities in any circumstances (the famous Polish competence!). As teenagers and young adults we were eagerly awaiting May 1, 2004. And we celebrated the accession to the European Union with all our hearts! It was the fulfilment of our aspirations.
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Thanks to the European Union, I could live and work in three different countries (I also worked in one country that is no longer in the European Union, but was at the time), participate in projects with participants from several more countries, and have friends all over Europe. The European Union showed me that it's worth having dreams because you can achieve them. And that I can be whoever I want and who I really am.
The accession of the country I come from to the European Union was probably the most important event in my life in terms of forming my personality and perspectives. Of course, none knows what the future brings, but right now I'm not a teenager and have already a formed worldview. What is more, that political (but also a social, cultural and emotional) decision directly affected and translated into my life.
But nothing - not even the European Union - is given forever. Every day we must care for European ideals which stand behind the (imperfect) institution, because they are a kind of ethos.
The fight for the European Union and its shape will not only take place in the elections in June but has been going on for the past two years in Ukraine 🇪🇺🇺🇦. And we - as voters, taxpayers, customers, donors, and the public - have an impact on this fight. It is up to us whether Europe will stand as a bulwark defending what it is and whether it will change for the better. And whether it will give people in other countries a chance, just as I once got that chance.
Interview in the "Wirtschaft in Gespräch" by Deutsche Welle. The episode title: "EU-Osterweiterung - eine Bilanz"