EU ministers sign treaty bringing candidate countries closer to the union

The foreign ministers of European Union (EU) member countries yesterday in Nice, France, signed a treaty with a provision that the EU will begin accepting new members to the 15-nation bloc in 2004. Observers say ratifying the treaty, which must be approved by the European Parliament and the parliaments of individual member nations, will take approximately two years. Only after this has been achieved can the EU approve accession treaties with Poland and other EU hopefuls. The treaty was heavily criticized by Italy and Belgium, among others, who expressed apprehension that if, according to the treaty, the EU were to expand to include 27 countries, the alliance would be threatened with excessive bureaucracy and subsequent collapse of the union. (Rzeczpospolita, p.A5) M.T.