Eastward enlargement : benefits and costs of EU entry for the transition countries

The Central and East European transition countries are pinning considerable hopes for their economic future on entry into the European Union. However, given the huge amount of catching up they still have to do in economic terms, the tough entry conditions they have to meet and the limited amount of help the Union is willing to provide, it is questionable whether the benefits these countries will derive from entering the EU outweigh the corresponding substantial costs.