(121) Until that year, accession negotiations were cumbersome, as Italy and France were concerned about the perceived competition in agricultural produce such as wine, olives, and tomatoes, while other member states worried about the prospect of cheap labor moving to northern Europe and the size of the Spanish fishing fleet. In the end, however, the coup of 1982 reaffirmed the notion that membership in the European club offered a crucial degree of democratic stability, especially since Spain and Portugal were also members of NATO. In contrast to the often acrimonious negotiations with the Iberian countries, the fourth round of 1995 posed no major problems. With the end of the Cold War, the three formerly neutral countries, Finland, Sweden, and Austria, lost their political rationale as buffers between East and West. Instead, the economic benefits of gaining access to a highly integrated market now dominated the agenda. In contrast to previous rounds, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the three newcomers was well above the EU average.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 03:22:07 +0000
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