Headline : Perhaps there would be no war today

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No. of Paragraph 27

Twenty years ago, ten Eastern European countries, amongst them the Baltic states, but also Poland and Hungary, joined the European Union as part of the enlargement to the East. In the past, you have characterised the 2004 enlargement round, which you prepared, as the most significant historical achievement of the EU since its foundation. Do you still share this view today?

Yes, absolutely. Even more so. From today's perspective, it is a minor miracle that it was possible to realise this project. The EU would no longer be in a position to do this today. It was only possible back then because the spirit of a new, united Europe was still alive and governments, parliaments and society in the candidate countries were prepared to take on the hardships of transformation. This was the only way it could be successful. Now, 20 years later, I would say that the main points that needed to be achieved have been achieved. But of course that is not the end of the story. To paraphrase Willy Brandt, not everything that belongs together has grown together yet.

But not all of the countries that joined back then are making positive headlines. With regard to countries such as Hungary, could it not be said that joining the EU was perhaps a little too early?

The same could be said for some old members. Which country always gets the best press? It's interesting that you choose the example of Hungary. Hungary was everybody's darling back in 2000. Hungary was the country that had opened the Iron Curtain. At the time, there was almost a love affair between the EU and Hungary. Nobody would have thought of saying that Hungary did not belong in the European Union. Democratic elections do not always necessarily produce the results that others want. I also don't believe in punishing people for their voting behaviour.

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