Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Understanding East and SE Europe crucial for understanding current EU dynamics

Understanding the history of each of the 27 member states - countries of the European Union is IMO key to understanding the current dynamics in the EU and "European Integration" and well as planning for the future of the EU.

Within this task lies, IMO, a task that may be a tad harder than awareness of the history of the UK, Germany, The Netherlands and other EU countries that are Western European in geography: Understanding East and SE Europe (and to some extent Central Europe) and the history, especially between the 15th century and 1990, of EU members Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as more central ones such as Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia. In other words 9 of the 10 countries that entered the EU in 2004, the 2 that entered in 2007 as well as Greece, that entered in 1981 (as its 10th member). As well as countries that are candidates for EU membership, at any stage, eg Croatia, FYROM, Serbia, etc.

A number of posts in the coming days and weeks will try to give readers from W. Europe, the US and the rest of the world, some idea.

No comments: