The New Europe
On May 1, the European Union welcomes 10 new members from Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Check out DW-WORLD's gallery of the EU's new frontiers.
Cyprus - Europe's Last Wall
When will Europe's last wall finally fall? In April 2003, Greek and Turkish Cypriots were allowed to cross through the Ledra Palaca border checkpoint in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. It was the first time in almost 29 years that officials in the Turkish half of Cyprus allowed citizens to cross over to the southern, Greek, half of the divided Mediterranean island. Officials also permitted Greeks to travel to the north. Yet despite a flurry of diplomatic efforts and a referendum to unite the island, Cyprus has remained divided since the Turkish invasion of the north in 1974. In 2004, the southern Greek half of the island joins the European Union.
Fishing Farms
The fishing lakes in the outskirts of Bekescsaba, in Hungary's Southern Great Plain region, offer a rich angling experience for visitors. The area is home to a rich diversity of fish species including carp, grass carp, Wels catfish, pikeperch, pike and whitefish.
The Baltic Tiger
The garrison church on Freedom Alley in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas is home to the famous "Freedom" sculpture, which stands before the Zilinskas Gallery. Kaunus is the second-biggest city in the country. Lithuania is one of the so-called "Baltic Tigers." For years, the country limped behind Estonia and Latvia when it came to structural reform and modernization, but with 6 percent a year, it now lays claim to the highest economic growth rate of all the Baltic states. The primary reason is the country's investor friendly economic policies, strict fiscal discipline and the rapid modernization of its companies. Nevertheless, it is still struggling with a staggering unemployment rate of 16 percent. Totaling about 7 percent of the economy, agriculture is one of the most important sectors in Lithuania.
Liberal Catholicism
A team of 13 nuns and 11 other co-workers in a bakery in the Slovakian city of Zborov produce several million altar breads a month for Catholic churches across the entire country. It's the only altar bread in the Slovak Republic. Unlike its neighbor, the Czech Republic, Slovakia has a flourishing church life. After the fall of Communism, the number of Catholics in the country grew dramatically, and today almost 75 percent of the population identifies itself with the church. The number of priests has also grown to 2,400 today. Nevertheless, the majority of Slovaks still clash with some of the core teachings of Catholicism: For example, most favor liberal abortion laws.
Honoring St. George
Residents of the ancient city of Gozo, Malta, fill the streets with a sea of red and blue balloons during a feast celebrating St. George, the local patron saint of the Catholic Church. St. George is honored for fighting evil, protecting women and his largesse to the needy.
Breaking the Chains
The Slovenian and Italian workers pictured here are dismantling the chainlink fence on the border between Italy's Gorizia and Slovenia's Nova Gorica. After Slovenia joins the EU in May, the communities plan to replace the former border outpost that divided the former Yugoslavian country from Western Europe with a bed of roses.
Hungary's Fresh Peppers
A handful of women take a breather from the pepper harvest in a field near Kalocsa in Hungary's Puszta, or "Great Plain." The region is home to nearly 50 percent of the country's agricultural production. During the past century, the Puszta has been used primarily for farming, and it has become the nation's breadbasket.
Eastern Tiger
Though many former government enterprises collapsed in the wake of communism, others thrived, including Slovenia's Gorenje, an appliance-maker that ships over 1 million refrigerators and home appliances around the world. Economists have taken to calling companies like Gorenje, or Czech automobile manufacturer Skoda, the "Eastern Tigers."
Slovakia: Poor But Beautiful
The ice caves near Dobsina in western Slovakia are listed among UNESCO's world cultural heritage sites. Slovakia has quite a bit to offer tourists: spectacular gorges, waterfalls and lakes in numerous nature reserves and national parks as well as a multitude of castles, palaces and historic sites. But economically, Slovakia is on the lower end of the scale of the 10 new member states. The country's residents are also apprehensive about EU membership. Though 90 percent voted in favor of accession in May 2003, only one-out-of-two voters turned out at their local polling booth. Many are uncertain about the economic side-effects of EU membership. Tensions with the Czech Republic have also grown in recent years and are only slowly normalizing.
"She Wants To Be Taught in Russian"
A young girl holds a sign with a drawing of a crying girl and the text: "She wants to be taught in Russian" during a protest in Latvia's capital of Riga in May 2003. In preparation for its membership in the EU, Latvia passed a law last year requiring that almost all classroom instruction be done in Latvian -- a move that upset the country's Russian-speaking minority, which makes up about one-third of Latvia's overall population. The language battle in Latvia is only one of several aspects of European integration that have created problems for relations with Moscow. The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad will also be completely isolated with the EU membership of Poland and the Baltic states.
Latvian Folk
Ilga Reizniece is one of Latvia's most famous musicians. Here, the folk musician is seen teaching students at a kindergarten in the town of Jurmala. Reizniece's folk ensemble, ILGI, have preformed around the world - including China and the United States - and critics have lauded their "mastery" of Latvian folk instruments and spirited performances.
Steeped in Tradition
Greek Cypriots dance during a celebration of the island's national holiday. In the Greek community, traditional folk dancing is still very much a part of modern-day culture. Indeed, Plato's words still ring clearly in the minds of Greek Cypriots: "The dance, of all the arts, is the one that most influences the soul. Dancing is divine in its nature and is the gift of the gods."
Malta's Cramped Quarters
The main bus station in the Maltese capital of Valletta is filled with colorful old-fashioned buses that are still used for public transportation. Though they may be pretty to look at, their diesel engines stink up and pollute the air. Transportation on Europe's most densely populated country (there are 1,200 inhabitants per square kilometer) is a huge problem. Today, Malta has transformed itself into the richest of the EU accession states. Its economy has profited enormously from foreign corporations that have made large investments here. German companies, which have close to 60 operations on Malta, are the largest single investers.
Move Over Eurovision: Estonia's Been Doing It Longer
A child sits before the participants of the Estonian Song Festival, the country's single-biggest cultural event. Estonians have been participating in the song contest, which features both singing and traditional folkloric wind instruments, since 1869. A highlight of the event is the "joined choir," which draws together as many as 25,000 people a year in a single, goose-bump raising performance.
Poland: Skeptical Farmers
Women have been hawking organic produce at the farmer's market in the Polish city of Lublin for decades. Polish farmers are amongst the biggest skeptics of European Union membership because they fear they aren't prepared for the intense agricultural competition it could bring. In 2004, the year of Poland's accession, farmers will receive only 45 percent of the agricultural subsidies bestowed on the 15 present EU member states. That percentage will grow to 65 percent by 2006. With 18 percent of Poland's population working in agriculture, the sector is politically very powerful, and many feared farmers would derail the country's EU membership. But in the end, 77.4 percent of Poles casted ballots in favor of membership in a referendum held last year. The Polish Farmers' Party (PSL) as well as the national farmers' association called on their constituents to vote in favor of EU accession.
The Czech Economic Engine
Car-maker Skoda is one of the Czech Republic's great success stories. Originally owned by the Communist government, Skoda was privatized in 1992 and eventually purchased by German motor giant Volkswagen. Today, Skoda-built cars ply the roads of Europe from Malaga, Spain, to Bergen, Norway, and it is one of the continent's best-selling brands.
Poland's European Bison
The image many have of Eastern Europe is that of a landscape devastated by pollution, unsightly construction projects and an industrial base fallen to ruins. In fact, countries like Poland are filled with spectacular countryside and wildlife, including a population of wild bison that roam the land in Miedzyzdroje in northwestern Poland. There are just over 1,000 free-roaming bison in sanctuaries across the country. The European bison nearly became extinct by 1919, and all of the free-roaming animals in Poland derive from four surviving bison.
Testy over Temelin
Workers repair a defective generator in the second block of the controversial Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. The facility is located about 100 kilometers north of Linz, Austria, and about 230 kilometers northeast of Munich. Since the Czechs switched the plant on in 2000, a number of problems have been reported. Politicians and opponents of nuclear power -- especially in Germany and Austria -- have long been battling to stop the plant. Despite international criticism, the Industrial Ministry in Prague has said it would continue to expand the nuclear plant through 2010. However, the Czech Republic will be required to adhere to strict European Union nuclear power safety regulations as part of its accession agreement.
A Rosy Future, But A Social Powder-Keg
Young Estonians gather near an Internet café in the rural village of Huuru. Economists paint a rosy future for Estonia. The country's economy is expected to grow by about 6 percent in 2004 and 2005. Of course, economic growth doesn't instantly translate to prosperity for all. In many cases, only the young and very highly educated social ranks are benefiting from the rapid economic growth. Senior citizens, the working class and rural residents are being left behind in the dust. Estonia's unemployment rate is a staggering 10 percent and the average monthly pension is less than €100. The country is also still home to 200,000 Russians and stateless people who are granted only limited civil liberties in Estonia and are seen as a social powder-keg.
The Hill of Crosses
For years, the famous Hill of Crosses near Siauliai, Lithuania, has served as a pilgrimage site. After the Soviet Union captured Lithuania in the twilight of World War II, Moscow sought on numerous occasions to remove the crosses, but the people of Lithuania would replace them at night as their Russian occupiers slept. They served as an important symbol of Lithuanian courage and the deep longing for freedom its people held. Today more than 50,000 crosses adorn the site.