The European Union has experienced on the 1st of May its largest expansion ever. Ten countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Cyprus are poised to form part of this ambitious project aimed at reuniting at long last a continent convulsed by conflicts and divided by its political destinies. The challenges are many and although the benefits of such an enlargement are still unclear, it is certain that the political and historical momentum is comparable only to that experienced by the continent at the end of the Second World War when France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy united to create the seed of what today is known as the European Union.

In these series of interviews we take a closer look at this historical moment through the words of the Ambassadors and high profile personalities of several of the member countries. Some of the interviews were completed more than a year ago but their content is still up-to-date as they provide a first hand source of information at the challenges and the expectations that each of these countries have as well as an accurate account of how the process is perceived from within:

Interview with S.E. Grazyna Bernatowicz, Ambassador of Poland assigned in Madrid, Spain. ...read more! (in spanish)		Interview with H.E. Mikulas Dzurinda, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovakia.  ...read more!
Interview with S.E. Gábor Tóth, Ambassador of Hungary assigned in Madrid, Spain. ...read more! (in spanish)		Interview with H.E. Valdas Adamkus ex-President of the Republic of Lithuania.  ...read more!

The European Union as it is
now. Click here for a larger view.

Want to see some images of the new members of the EU?