Candidates at EU parliament

Lawmakers from EU candidate countries took part in a session of the European Parliament for the first time yesterday, a day after the bloc set May 1, 2004, as the date for its eastward enlargement. The gathering in the imposing steel-and-glass building...

Lawmakers from EU candidate countries took part in a session of the European Parliament for the first time yesterday, a day after the bloc set May 1, 2004, as the date for its eastward enlargement.

The gathering in the imposing steel-and-glass building in Strasbourg, France, brought together more than 200 deputies from 12 candidate countries and 626 European parliamentarians to celebrate the forthcoming creation of the world's biggest single market.

"Your presence signals the opening of a new chapter for Europe," said EU Commission President Romano Prodi.

Yesterday's session gave a foretaste of the linguistic challenges facing the EU when the number of its official languages increases to 20 from 11 after enlargement.

EU foreign ministers declared on Monday that the Union would admit 10, mostly east European countries on May 1, 2004, if a Copenhagen summit on December 12-13 wraps up entry talks.

The 10 are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Bulgaria and Romania are expected to join in 2007.

Turkey is also a candidate, but has not yet started entry talks due to its poor human rights record.

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