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New Member States
The largest expansion of the European Union (EU), in terms of territory, number of states, and population took place on 1 May 2004. The simultaneous accessions concerned the following countries (sometimes referred to as the "A10" countries): Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Seven of these were part of the former Eastern Bloc (of which three were from the former Soviet Union and four were and still are members of the Central European alliance Visegrád Group). Slovenia was a non-aligned country prior to the independence, and it was one of the former republics of Yugoslavia (together sometimes referred to as the "A8" countries), and the remaining two were Mediterranean islands and two Members of Commonwealth of Nations. Part of the same wave of enlargement was the accession of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, who were unable to join in 2004, but, according to the Commission, constitute part of the fifth enlar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EU25-2004 European Union Map Enlargement
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been described as a '' sui generis'' political entity (without precedent or comparison) combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation. Containing 5.8per cent of the world population in 2020, the EU generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around trillion in 2021, constituting approximately 18per cent of global nominal GDP. Additionally, all EU states but Bulgaria have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. Its cornerstone, the Customs Union, paved the way to establishing an internal single market based on standardised legal framework and legislation that applies in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states have agreed to a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commonwealth Of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations amongst member states. Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations through the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which modernised the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Third World
The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First World", while the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and their allies represented the " Second World". This terminology provided a way of broadly categorizing the nations of the Earth into three groups based on political divisions. Strictly speaking, "Third World" was a political, rather than an economic, grouping. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the term ''Third World'' has decreased in use. It is being replaced with terms such as developing countries, least developed countries or the Global South. The concept itself has become outdated as it no longer represents the current political or economic state of the world and as historically poor countries have transited different income stag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Bloc
The Western Bloc, also known as the Free Bloc, the Capitalist Bloc, the American Bloc, and the NATO Bloc, was a coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. It was spearheaded by the member states of NATO, but also included countries that advocated anti-communism and anti-socialism, and likewise were opposed to the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. The term was used to distinguish this anti-Soviet grouping from its pro-Soviet counterpart: the Eastern Bloc. Throughout the protracted period marked by Soviet–American tensions, the governments and the press of the Western Bloc were more inclined to refer to themselves as the Free World or the First World, whereas the Eastern Bloc was often referred to as the "Communist World" or more formally as the " Second World". 1947–1991 Western Bloc associations NATO * Belgium* * Canada* * Denmark* * France* * FR Germany (1955–1990) * Greece (from 1952) * Iceland* ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Slovenian European Union And NATO Membership Referendum
A referendum on membership of the European Union and NATO was held in Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ... on 23 March 2003. Voters were asked two questions; #Do you agree to the proposal that the Republic of Slovenia should become a member of the European Union? #Do you agree to the proposal that the Republic of Slovenia should become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)? Both questions received a majority in favor, with 89.61% voting for EU membership and 66.02% for NATO membership. Voter turnout was 60.23%. ''IFES'' Results Question 1 Question 2 ...
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2003 Slovak European Union Membership Referendum
A referendum on joining the European Union was held in Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ... on 16 and 17 May 2003. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1747 It was approved by 93.7% of those voting, and Slovakia subsequently joined the EU on 1 May 2004. It remains the only referendum in the country's history to have not failed due to insufficient voter turnout. Results References {{Slovak elections 2003 referendums Referendums in Slovakia Referendums related to European Union accession 2003 in Slovakia 2003 in international relations 2003 in the European Union Slovakia and the European Union May 2003 events in Europe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Polish European Union Membership Referendum
A referendum on joining the European Union was held in Poland on 7 and 8 June 2003.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1491 The proposal was approved by 77.6% of voters. Poland subsequently joined the European Union that year following the ratification of the Treaty of Accession 2003. The country's first European Parliament elections were held in 2004. Question Party policies The governing Democratic Left Alliance The Democratic Left Alliance () was a social-democratic political party in Poland. It was formed in 9 July 1991 as an electoral alliance of centre-left parties, and became a single party on 15 April 1999. It was the major coalition party in Pol ... and its junior coalition partner, the Labour Union (Poland), Labour Union, strongly campaigned for joining the EU. The biggest opposition party, the Civic Platform, was also strongly supportive of joining the EU. The agrarian Polish People's Party gave its support to the " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Maltese European Union Membership Referendum
A referendum on European Union membership was held in Malta on 8 March 2003. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1302 The result was 54% in favour. The subsequent April 2003 general elections were won by the Nationalist Party, which was in favour of EU membership, the opposition Labour Party having opposed joining. Malta joined the EU on 1 May 2004. The referendum saw the highest turnout in an EU membership referendum (91%) and the lowest support for joining of any of the nine countries that held referendums on joining the EU in 2003. Background Malta's first relations with the European Economic Community (EEC) saw the signing of an Association Agreement in December 1970. This agreement called for the creation of a customs union based on free trade between Malta and the Bloc. Malta submitted a formal application to join the European Community in July 1990, which was met with a positive opinion from the European Commission. However the app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Lithuanian European Union Membership Referendum
The 2003 Lithuanian European Union referendum took place from 10 May to 11 May 2003 to decide whether Lithuania should join the European Union (EU). Over 90% of those who voted supported membership and Lithuania joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Background Lithuania was invited to begin negotiations to join the EU in December 1999 at a European Council summit in Helsinki and was formally invited to join the EU in December 2002 at a summit in Copenhagen. In June 2002 and February 2003 the Lithuanian Parliament amended Lithuania's laws on referendums. Previously, for a referendum to pass, 50% of the voters had to vote and over 50% of all eligible registered voters had to support the proposal. After the amendment only a simple majority of participants in favour was required for the referendum to pass, while still having the requirement for turnout to be over 50%. To help reach the turnout requirement, the voting hours were extended, postal voting was allowed for 11 days before the refe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Latvian European Union Membership Referendum
A referendum on European Union membership was held in Latvia on 20 September 2003.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1122 Latvia was the last of the states which would join the EU in 2004 to hold a referendum on the issue. Just over two-thirds of voters voted Yes and Latvia joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Background Latvia was invited to begin negotiations to join the EU in 1999 and was formally invited to join at a summit in Copenhagen in December 2002. On 27 December 2002 the Latvian government decided to hold a referendum on 20 September 2003 on joining the EU. In May 2003 the Parliament of Latvia amended the Constitution of Latvia to allow referendums on international matters. Campaigning began on 5 May 2003. Referendum question The question voted on in the referendum was: ''Do you support the membership of Latvia in the European Union?'' Campaign Latvia was seen as being one of the more skeptical countries on joining the Europea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Hungarian European Union Membership Referendum
A referendum on joining the European Union was held in Hungary on 12 April 2003. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p899 The proposal was approved by 83.8% of voters, with a voter turnout of 45.6%.Nohlen & Stöver, p912 Hungary subsequently joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Background Hungary submitted a membership application to the EU on 31 March 1994 and negotiations on entry began in 1998. At a summit in Copenhagen in December 2002, Hungary was one of ten countries invited to join the EU in 2004. All major parties agreed that a binding referendum on membership was needed before Hungary could join the EU. The National Assembly of Hungary changed the rules on referendums in Hungary in 1997; the previous requirement that turnout be over 50% was removed, replaced with the requirement that at least 25% of all registered voters had to vote in favor for a referendum to be legally valid. In December 2002 the Constitution of Hungary was amended to enab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
