Champagne corks popped from the Baltic Sea to Hungary's Lake Balaton on Friday after eight east European nations sealed a historic accord to join the EU, exorcising the memory of the Iron Curtain once and for all.
Last-minute bickering at the end of a two-day summit in the Danish capital turned to handshakes, hugs and smiles as leaders from the 15 current members of the EU agreed on a financial package extended to 10 new, mainly former eastern bloc, states.
EU expansion comes just weeks after NATO accepted seven new members in the region, and is yet another step in erasing the geopolitical scars that cut through the heart of Europe for nearly five decades of Soviet occupation and dominance.
Peteris Vinkelis, a political advisor to Latvian Prime Minister Einars Repse, said: "Mr. Repse is in Copenhagen drinking champagne and I am here in Riga drinking Cognac -- need I say more?"
The biggest candidate, President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland, , said: "The finale crowns the efforts and this is a happy end. On May 1, 2004, we will be in the EU on good conditions."
Enlargement was both a big step for the Union and for the 10 newcomers -- Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus.
After the last round of expansion in 1995, the EU had a population of over 370 million and an area of 3.23km2 million.
If referendums in candidate nations are successful -- as expected -- their accession will add some 710,600km2 of land and 75 million people to the bloc.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft