EU marks 20th anniversary of eastern expansion as Ukraine war rages

The European Union marked the 20th anniversary of ten countries in Eastern Europe joining the bloc on Tuesday as the third year of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine continued.

Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU out of a "fierce desire to become part of EU's freedom and prosperity," European Council President Charles Michel said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"Europe was more than a geography. It is an idea, a journey, a beacon of hope," Michel said, ahead of the official anniversary on May 1.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "the historic 2004 enlargement was the birth of a new era" and was "built on the promise that all Europeans can be masters of their own destiny."

With the expansion to the east, the EU grew to 450 million people and became one of the world's largest markets.

Democracy and economic progress advanced in the new EU member states, many of them formerly part of the communist and autocratic Soviet Union.

The threat of Russia still hangs over the former Soviet satellites and many of Ukraine's strongest supporters in the EU are Russia's closest neighbours.

Speaking in Brussels, European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová said, as a Czech citizen, that being in the EU "means that imperialistic Russia will not grab us again."

In the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion, Ukraine applied to join the EU and the prospect of joining the community of European nations has become a vital rallying point for the war-torn country.