O enlargement 20 years ago, also known as the ‘big bang’, due to its size and impact that led the Union to expand from 15 to 25 Member States, marked the entry of a dozen countries, mainly from central and eastern Europe: Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic, plus Cyprus and Malta.
Here is a list of the 10 countries that joined the European Union on May 1, 2004, in what was the biggest enlargement in the history of the European project, and some indicators:
CYPRUS
Population: 920 thousand.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 13th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: (not part of the 41 countries evaluated).
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 49th.
SLOVAKIA
Population: 5.4 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 25th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 26th.
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 47th.
SLOVENIA
Population: 2.1 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 15th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 20th.
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 42nd.
ESTONIA
Population: 1.3 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 18th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 19th (best of 10).
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 12th (best of 10)
HUNGARY
Population: 9.6 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 21st.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 28th.
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 76th.
LATVIA
Population: 1.9 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 24th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 29th.
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 36th.
LITHUANIA
Population: 2.8 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 16th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 27th.
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 34th.
MALTA
Population: 542 thousand.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 10th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: (not part of the 41 countries evaluated).
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 55th.
POLAND
Population: 36.7 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 19th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 25th.
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 47th.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Population: 10.8 million.
Position among the 27 EU Member States in GDP per capita: 14th.
Position in the OECD quality of life ranking: 22nd.
Position in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index: 41st.
(Portugal – 20th in GDP per capita among the 27 EU Member States, 31st in quality of life among 41 countries, 34th in Transparency International’s global corruption perception index).
Read Also: EU. The class of 2004 – from good student Estonia to problematic Hungary
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