EU enlargement

            Czech Republic: What potential benefits and losses are there for this country if it gains EU membership? .
             What are the potential benefits and losses for the EU if this country gains membership? Who stands to gain more by this country's membership; the country of the EU?.
             "The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the six Candidate Countries negotiating accession to the European Union on the basis of the decisions of the Luxembourg European Council in December 1997 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia - met for the third time in Budapest on 15 November 2000. They reconfirmed that their accession to the European Union is not only crucial for their own countries but a well-managed enlargement is an integral part of realizing the vision of a strong and efficient European Union." - Joint Statement, Budapest, November 15 2000.
             As the above statement suggests, converting from a "candidate country" into a formally recognized member of the European Union holds both benefits and opportunities for the respective nation and the EU itself. The respective nation in this case is the Czech Republic and through this paper I shall attempt to identify those gains and losses the Czech Republic will face when moving from the status of applicant to a position of formal membership. Yet I will also address what consequences Czech membership holds for the EU itself. How will the inclusion of the Czech Republic affect intricate aspects of EU "life" such as the Common Agricultural Policy and budget expenditure? Will the EU be able to retain its current depth whilst pursuing a policy of further enlargement? More fundamentally, I will question whether the EU actually holds sufficient resources to deal with further enlargement and, if not, what problems may emerge. All of these questions will be addressed but before I begin I must ask what is the European Union? .
             The EU is essentially " the result of a process of cooperation and integration which began in 1951 between six countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.