Enlargement is one of the most important opportunities for the European Union as it prepares for the 21st century. It is a unique, historic task to further the integration of the continent by peaceful means, extending a zone of stability and prosperity to new members.
Already in the 1948 Europe started on its way to a Union with the first cooperation contracts and alliances. On 16 April 1948 the OEEC was created, the OEEC (Organisation for European Economic Cooperation), the first entity uniting all west European nations (Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. The main objectives of the OEEC were to organise and manage the economic aid coming from the USA under the Marshall Plan. …