April 2, 2004 :: No. 202

European Union Enlargement Discussion Scheduled for April 7 at Cal State Fullerton

“On May 1, the European Union will be poised to undergo a historic transition,” said Cora Granata, assistant professor of history and coordinator of Cal State Fullerton’s European Studies Program. “Ten new countries will join the European Union, and many of these countries are regions that, until recently, were on the other side of the Iron Curtain.”

“The Impact of European Union Enlargement on Central and Eastern Europe” will be discussed at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, in the Recital Hall of the university’s Performing Arts Center. The program is open to the public free of charge.

Speakers for this panel discussion include Kestutis Krisciunas, director of European Integration at Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania; Karl Kaltenthaler, P.K. Seidman Professor of Political Economy in the department of international studies at Rhodes College; and Krystyna Tokarska-Biernacik, consul general of the Republic of Poland.

Co-sponsored by the College of Business and Economics and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the panel discussion will focus on the challenges and opportunities that regional free trade and the “euro” will present for Central and Eastern Europe.

Kaltenthaler, who specializes in monetary politics and public attitudes toward the economy, will address his comments to those subject areas. He also will provide general background on the challenges of launching and managing the euro, and discuss its general impact on Central and Eastern Europe.  

The officials from Lithuania and Poland will discuss regional free trade as well as the eventual participation in the euro for their respective countries. Panel members also will address what challenges their countries will face with their membership in the European Union.

In addition, the three scholars will spend time meeting with students and faculty members.

 “The enlargement of the EU with the addition of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta will increase the EU’s population from 370 million to over 450 million, ” said Granata. “In comparison, the United States has a population of 290 million. The addition of these countries will also increase the number of languages spoken from 11 to 20. Given the significance of U.S.-European relations politically, economically and militarily, it is important that we develop a deeper understanding of the immense changes currently facing Europe,” she added. “We are very pleased to be hosting these distinguished visitors.”

 Additional information is available from Cora Granata at 657-278-3568 or cgranata@fullerton.edu.