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Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union on January 1, 2007 with all-night celebrations, bringing 30 million new citizens to the bloc, now with 27 members. The two Balkan countries officially entered the EU at the stroke of midnight, which ushers in the New Year. This coincides with the hand-over from Finland to Germany of the EU's six-month rotating presidency. The two countries completed entry negotiations in 2004 and signed EU accession treaties in April 2005. The Balkan neighbors, largely sharing a border on the Danube River, have acceded under strict conditions and at a time when EU leaders have put the brakes on further enlargement. Both must report back every six months to show that they are making progress in several key areas, namely justice and home affairs, food and aviation safety and the distribution of EU subsidies. Otherwise they risk losing a significant chunk of economic aid, mainly in the form of farming subsidies and structural and cohesion funds. They will face export bans on certain foods, and Bulgaria has been warned that 55 of its aircraft could be grounded unless they reach EU safety standards. The entry of Bulgaria and Romania marks the EU's second expansion into the former Soviet bloc to establish market-based rules for industries ranging from energy and transport to telecommunications and banking. Ten countries, including Poland and seven other nations in formerly communist eastern Europe, joined in May 2004 and swelled the bloc's population to about 460 million. The January expansion will extend the bloc's borders to the Black Sea, revive a push to streamline European decision-making and put the spotlight on the membership bids of other Balkan countries including Croatia, Turkey and Macedonia. Membership is slated to include EU subsidies totaling EUR 32 B for Romania and EUR 11 B for Bulgaria through 2013. Click here to receive realtime news about this topic in the future.

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