(the original post was published on my Facebook page)

 
 
It was more than 10 years ago that I fell in love with the idea of the European Union as Hungary was preparing to become a member. Often, it was the big unknown if/when enlargement would really happen towards Central and Eastern Europe, and one professor in Bruges did joke that in our region, the abbreviation ‘EU’ actually stands for ‘Everlasting Uncertainty’. However, on 1 May 2004 we and 9 others joined, followed by 3 other countries since, and this has changed my career and life forever. I’ve worked both within and with EU institutions, and the idea of 28 radically different countries trying to make a meaningful union still fascinates me. It’s far from perfect and always will be, but the core concept is valid, and worthy of support. We’ve seen people dying to join, and others (almost) dying to leave. It’s not necessarily a club for everyone, but federalism the European way is a fascinating idea that I will keep supporting in every way I can.
 
Happy anniversary, EU enlargement!
 
 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.