Eastern Europe and EU

Referendum took place in nine from ten countries-candidates from March until September, 2003. Everywhere majority of people supported joining European Union. Cyprus, only the Greek part, joined EU without a referendum.

In some countries, like Slovenia or Czech republic, high support for joining EU was expected. In some other countries, like Poland (read more about Polish referendum ), Slovakia, Latvia or Lithuania and Malta, the positive outcome was not that certain. In Hungary the turnover was low, less than 50% but it was still valid according to Hungarian law.

Read more: EU Referendum Results for Ten Countries in 2003

Eastern European contribution to the war with Iraq

Czech Republic

Czechs committed army specialists (357 people) - experts in combating chemical weapons to Iraq. USA has also asked permission for coalition forces to pass through Czech territory and airspace. Czech Republic gave similar assistance during the first Gulf War in 1991, and is unlikely to raise objections this time. Slovakia also send their 59 soldiers to join Czechs battalion. Czech's policy was friendly towards the USA but this may change because there was a change in a leadership recently.

Read more: Poland, Hungary & Czech Republic on the War in Iraq

After collapse of communism countries of Eastern Europe (EE) were eager to join the structures of the "rich and free" like NATO and European Union. Some of them already joined NATO (Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary) and are waiting for the referenda in their countries which will decide whether they will join European Union. Read more about referendum outcome. Other countries (Bulgaria, Romania) still await their turn.

No wonder that the USA is looking for new allies and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's in his controversial statement characterized Europe as divided into "old Europe" and a newly emerging from Soviet dependence "new Europe".

Read more: Eastern Europe's Position on War with Iraq

According to Robert Kagan and his new book (reference is in the bottom of the article) Europeans and Americans share a common view of the world but they have differences about a morality of power. Europeans are turning away from power to a "self-contained world of laws, rules and cooperation". The United States on the other hand is exercising the power, it feels that they have a strength and a moral mission to improve the world on their own rules. It looks as like Europeans and Americans traded the places. In the past the USA was far from interfering in international affairs of other countries, there was quite a skepticism to enter the WW II before Pearl Harbor even when Nazi occupied almost all Europe.

Read more: Attitudes in Europe towards the War: France and Germany versus the USA on Iraq