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The most important developments in Europe over the past three decades
are the political, economic, social and institutional processes resulting
from the strengthening and expansion of the European Union (EU) and the
transition from centrally planned regimes to more open, market economy
based societies (see box) These changes have had profound effects on developments
in all the countries concerned, on sub-regions and on the region as a
whole. Although the three sub-regions of Europe (Western, Central and
Eastern) do have similarities, there also are distinct differences due
to recent and historical events resulting in political, economic and social
heterogeneity in the region.
| The enlargement of the European Union |
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For the ten Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries that have
applied to join the EU (the Accession Countries), membership is
seen as a means to stabilize the changes resulting from transition,
as well as a means to accelerate economic development. For all 13
Accession Countries, EU membership poses tremendous political and
economic challenges, including harmonization of laws and institutions
to EU requirements. Both the EU and Accession Countries are in transition
to more sustainable development but with different starting points.
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Note: in early 2002, the Accession Countries
were Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey
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Following the collapse of communism at the end of the 1980s, a new era
of pan-European cooperation on environmental issues began within the framework
of the 'Environment for Europe' (EfE) process. Included in the broader
political agenda of this process was the goal of supporting and strengthening
democratization, which gradually replaced state socialism in post-communist
countries (see box). During preparations
for the Århus Convention in the 1990s, it became clear that public rights
and participation remained an elusive goal, in many of the established
Western democracies as well as in Central and Eastern Europe (REC 1998).
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