Twenty years ago, on May 1, 2004, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary became members of the European Union, this being the largest-ever enlargement in the history of the community, which reunited a divided continent, it is said in a press release issued by the presidential press service, which is quoted by IPN.

Marking the anniversary of the event, President Maia Sandu said that “this enlargement brought under the EU umbrella over 70 million citizens, contributing to a larger, more diverse and more prosperous Union. The enlargement of the EU offered the new members increased security and a better life. In these two decades, real wages doubled and poverty levels decreased two times. Life expectancy rose by 4 years, from 75 years in 2004 to 79 years in 2023.”

Also, the head of state said that our citizens deserve the same things: “Membership in the EU will bring Moldova a better life. The European integration is not just a beautiful dream. It is our chance for peace and well-being for which we must all work every day.”

Further enlargements are imminent, Deutsche Welle noted on the anniversary of the 2004 enlargement, and they will include six states of the Western Balkans, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Albania. Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are the last candidates for membership, which could receive an express ticket to the EU primarily because of the threat posed by Russia.

It is hard to say when the next accessions will take place, but we must remain optimistic, said Poland’s Jerzy Buzek, a member of the European Parliament since 2004, when his country joined the EU. A head of government in 2001, Buzek helped prepare for accession. “When we were young, joining was implausible, but it happened. This means that we have to dream and believe in our aspirations,” Buzek told the European Parliament, referring to the EU candidate countries.