Completion of the historic ‘fifth enlargement’ of the European Union (EU), which began in 2004 with the accession of 10 new member states, will see Bulga ria and Romania join the EU on 1 January, 2007, bringing the number of EU member states to 27.
The 10 years of negotiations that preceded the final decision about both countries’ eligibility for EU membership have now concluded. However, concerns remain that a number of key areas must still be addressed if their integration into the EU and its financial markets is to be successful.
