Two Balkan states ready to join EU

Romania, whose EU talks ended last week, and Bulgaria, which finished its accession talks last summer, will become the least-developed EU members. Their national revenue per capita is estimated at 30 percent of the EU average (Poland reached 46 percent). New members agreed on similar conditions to that of Polish accession, with a seven-year transitory period for free labor abroad and 10 years for financial support for farmers.

Analysts interviewed by Rzeczpospolita claim that newcomers will compete for structural funds at the cost of Poland and other new members of 2004. (B.K.)