COPENHAGEN, Denmark - The European Union bridged the Cold War's lingering divide at a historic summit yesterday, embracing 10 new countries and creating a potential economic and political powerhouse.
The 15-member group agreed to unite with three former Soviet Baltic republics, five other countries that once were part of the Communist bloc and two Mediterranean island nations. Its largest expansion ever would create an economy worth more than $9 trillion, rivaling that of the United States.
"We have closed one of the bloodiest and darkest chapters in the history of Europe," said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Denmark's prime minister and the summit's chair, sharing a stage with dozens of heads of state. "Our new Europe is born."
The addition of the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia on May 1, 2004, would add 75 million citizens to the EU's population of nearly 380 million, and increase its size geographically by nearly one-quarter.
Charles A. Kupchan, a professor of international relations at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, says a political giant is taking form in Copenhagen, one that will serve as a powerful counterweight to the United States over the years.
"I think it is a negative development for the exercise of American primacy, but I also think it is inevitable," said Kupchan. "Europe is emerging on the global scene much as American did a century ago. The U.S. will have to make room for the EU just as Europe's great powers had to make room for America."
At the end of the two-day summit in Copenhagen, EU leaders told Romania and Bulgaria yesterday that they are on target for joining in 2007. Turkey was told Thursday that it would have to delay membership talks until a December 2004 review of its progress on ensuring human rights.
The Greek-controlled southern part of divided Cyprus is likely to join the group alone.
EU officials had hoped that U.N.-led negotiations would lead to reconciliation with the Turkish part of the island before the summit's end, but too many divisive issues remained.
EU aspirants had to absorb 80,000 pages of regulations and fight over about $42 billion in farm and other subsidies that EU leaders set aside for new members, who will be paying into the union before they see any direct benefits.
The final hours saw fierce negotiations over issues of financial and political importance to the nations.
With little more cash to squeeze out of the financially strapped EU, candidates worked on single issues that played well at home:
Estonia received permission to shoot bears and lynx.
Malta was able to limit foreigners buying second homes on the island.
Hungary was able to ensure that no other country could call home-produced apricot brandy Palinka.
Latvian fishermen were allowed to continue catching herring that the EU deems too small to keep.