After signing accession treaties with Bulgaria and Romania in Luxembourg Monday, the European Union (EU) inches further toward its sixth round of enlargement which, like that in May 2004, can be another source of both joy and anxiety for the 54-year-old bloc.

Romania and Bulgaria will receive a total of 15 billion euros (US$19.5 billion) in financial aid from the bloc in the three years thereafter as they become full members of the EU.

The EU, in return, will stretch its eastern borders further into Central and Eastern Europe and even to the Black Sea region, thus bringing more stability and economic dynamism into the bloc.

As Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker put it, Europe is benefiting from the enlargement.

"No longer do we have the dangerous clashes of the past, no longer do we fear the other, no longer do the guns of some threaten the others, no longer are consciences imprisoned because they were imprisoned in Bulgaria and Romania," he said.

For Romanian President Traian Basescu, this round of enlargement represents "a historic opportunity that erases artificial dividing lines, consolidates and broadens prosperity and peace on the continent, and better prepares for the future."

"Enlargement is one of the most important opportunities for the European Union at the beginning of the 21st century," said the EU in one of its documents. "It is a unique, historic task to further the integration of the continent by peaceful means, extending a zone of stability and prosperity to new members."

Sure, enlargement brings unprecedented peace, security and economic prosperity to the continent. But as most of the newcomers are less developed than the original ones, wider economic disparity is inevitable, which creates further difficulty for the EU to reach consensus in its decision-making. And also, it sparks complaints from old member states, especially those net contributors.

There is already much complaint about the enlargement among citizens of some EU member states, especially France. Several recent opinion polls have suggested that French voters will reject, possibly by a large majority, the EU constitution.

"We will go through a great period of crisis," former European Commission President Romano Prodi said in an interview over the weekend.

"The problem will not only be a catastrophe for France, but the fall of Europe," he warned.

Some Europeans even think that the EU made a mistake in rushing to a decision on enlargement last year. Ten new member states are too much for the bloc to digest, they said.

At the signing ceremony, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said it had been a "demanding and challenging voyage" and the EU set high standards for new members.

President of the European Parliament Josep Borrell Fontelles told Romania and Bulgaria that accession to the EU entails both rights and obligations, and the rights shall be respected and commitments adhered to by both sides.

Thus, in the process of enlargement, the EU really has mixed feelings. With the dilemma created by the last round of enlargement still fresh in mind, the EU is sure to have mixed feelings in its future expansion process.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2005)