BALTICS TO RECEIVE EQUAL CONSIDERATION FOR ADMISSION TO EUROPEAN UNION.

European Union leaders meeting in Madrid December 15 and 16 decided to begin negotiations on the EU’s enlargement after mid-1997 with Central European and Baltic countries. The admission of individual countries is to be decided on a case by case basis depending on each country’s merits; but the countries will receive equal consideration, and the start of the process will be common for all. (15)

The decision represents an important success for the Baltic states in opening their access to EU membership. Some EU officials and member governments, notably the German, favored putting the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary on a "fast track" while delaying Baltic admission to avoid problems with Moscow. Baltic governments lobbied in Madrid for equal treatment and won the day due to strong support from the Nordic countries.

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