More opportunities for people and improved quality of life
Enlargement has created more opportunities for citizens from all Member States to study and work across the EU. Since 2004, more than 2.7 million people from the 10 countries have embraced the opportunity to learn and teach abroad. At the same time, thanks to the Erasmus+ programme, over 600 000 young people from other EU countries have studied in their universities.
Out of the 10 Member States that joined in 2004, nine are fully part of the Schengen area, the world's largest free travel area, guaranteeing smooth and secure travel. Work continues to further integrate Cyprus in the Schengen area while taking into consideration its special circumstances.
Over the past 20 years, the EU has made significant strides on social rights, health and environmental protection, waste management, consumer rights and product safety, among others, helping to improve the overall quality of people’s lives.The 10 countries that joined in 2004 have not only benefitted from these higher standards but have also helped to shape them. Today, nature is better preserved, cities have cleaner air and privacy is protected across the Union.
Creating jobs, growth and prosperity
Over the past 20 years, the EU's economy has grown by 27%. The countries that joined the EU in 2004 have witnessed substantial economic growth. The Polish and Maltese economies have more than doubled in size. Slovakia has grown by 80%.
The countries that were already members at the time of the 2004 enlargement have also experienced growth and prosperity. Spanish exports to the 10 countries have doubled over the last 20 years. Italian trade in goods with these countries has increased by 77% since then. The trade links between Lithuania and Sweden have also grown significantly. In less than two decades, the internal flow of goods within the EU has grown by more than 40%.
Out of the 26 million new jobs, which have emerged across the EU in the last 20 years, 6 million have been created in the 10 new EU countries.
Boosting the competitiveness of European industries and important sectors
From the Polish electronics business to the German car manufacturing sector, industry has grown due to the economies of scale offered by an enlarged single market. European industry has gained greater access to key inputs like critical raw materials. Companies can now easily source copper in Cyprus, cobalt in Czechia, rare earths in Lithuania and nickel in Slovakia.
Wider EU membership has also created opportunities to sell into a larger market for agri-food produce, offering citizens a greater choice of quality products. The 10 new Member States have enriched the EU’s agricultural diversity, with different farming traditions, crops, livestock and high-quality produce. The value of agricultural production in these countries has tripled over the last two decades, exceeding €68 billion.
Investing in our Union
Over the past 20 years, the EU has invested substantially in infrastructure to make Europe a better place to live and work - from highways to pipelines, public transport, connectivity, data centres and cross-border infrastructure.
Our integrated energy market has helped us to weather crises, for instance when Russia cut gas deliveries. EU countries have worked together to source more secure and sustainable energy supplies, driving the clean energy transition and reducing our dependence on Russian fossil fuels. With substantial EU investments, coverage of high-speed broadband networks and internet access have surged across the EU. Digital leaders such as Estonia, are helping to pioneer e-government services. In all parts of Europe, millions of people have gained access to the 5G network.
Today, we are taking things further with NextGenerationEU. Worth €800 billion, it is funding hundreds of projects, from offshore wind farms to electric trains, from top-notch digital services to world-class medical centres, creating quality jobs – in all 27 Member States.
As the strategic environment around us continues to change and Europe needs to step up on defence, all Member States are taking part in the effort - from Estonian defence research to Swedish aircraft development and Polish ammunition production.
Advancing innovation and research
In the past 20 years, the European Union has recorded numerous research breakthroughs and creative innovations – in disease prevention and cancer treatment, for instance. Many of these have taken place in the 10 new EU countries or have been the result of cooperation between researchers from long-standing and newer Member States, with EU financial support.
Hungarian and French scientists have advanced research on matter, receiving a Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. From Latvia to Spain, academics have worked closer together to boost our knowledge of genomes, for instance.
Standing in solidarity
From floods to forest fires, from earthquakes to medical emergencies, EU countries have given vital assistance to each other when disasters hit.
All EU countries have channelled support across the continent and beyond through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, throughout the past 20 years. Examples abound. Five Member States rushed to provide assistance to Hungary in the wake of flash floods in 2010. During the summer of 2022, Austrian firefighters came to the aid of Slovenia when it faced devastating wildfires. Last year, emergency specialists from Slovakia came to the aid of Greece as it battled historic wildfires.
Since the first day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, EU Member States have worked together to deliver support to the Ukrainian people. Logistics hubs in Poland and Slovakia, as well as Romania, have helped channel aid from across the Union. The EU has granted temporary protection to more than 4.1 million of Ukrainian refugees, with almost 1.7 million of them being hosted by the Member States that joined in 2004.
Strengthening Europe’s role in the world
Over the past 20 years, Europe’s voice on the world stage has grown stronger – whether to rally the world to take action on climate change, to fight the pandemic, or to promote democracy.
The addition of 10 new Member States has boosted our economic power globally. A larger single market has made the EU an even more attractive trading partner, enabling us to create new opportunities abroad. Since 2004, our global international trade has expanded by €3 trillion – reaching €5 trillion in 2023.
A larger Union has also enhanced Europe’s role as a leading humanitarian donor. European humanitarian support, whether in Ukraine, Gaza or Sudan is carried out by aid workers from around the EU, including Polish non-governmental organisations, Czech humanitarian partners and Cypriot aid workers, among others.
Enlargement has promoted prosperity, strengthened democracy and ensured stability across the Union. And with 27 Member States, the EU has become a stronger geopolitical player.
The data used in the ’20 years together’ campaign are based on Eurostat statistics as well on other official information sources and subject to updates. The surveys referred to are taken from the Eurobarometer.