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Diary: Anxiety over a future in Europe
By Ray Furlong
BBC Berlin correspondent
Central Europeans are unsure what EU membership will bring
With less than a month to go before 10 countries join the EU, the BBC's Berlin correspondent Ray Furlong is keeping a diary for News Online as he journeys around Eastern Europe.
In his tenth instalment, he finds Czechs unsure as to how to feel about their impending unity with neighbouring Germany and Poland.
Meeting Martin Puta was a refreshing start to the last day of my journey.
At 32-years-old he is one of the youngest mayors in the Czec
Republic and is full of optimism for his town, Hradek nad Nisou.
Click here for a map of Ray's route
"We stand to benefit from open markets and open borders," he said, adding
r
r
tha
Czechs, Poles and Germans would also get to know each other better.
As i
f to prove the point, he is soon getting married to a town councillor from the nearby Polish town of Botadynia.
Hradek, population 7,000, lies at the juncture of the three countries' borders and will host official celebrations on 1 May attended by all the heads of their governments.
Job fears
But outside of the quaint town hall building, the locals were not relishing the prospect of EU membership - the rest of my stay was sleepier and decidedly less positive.
On the town square, people I spoke to were concerned that prices would rise and jobs would be lost. While at a nearby factory, they had knocked off early because it was Friday.
When I crossed the border, there was a long q
ueue of cars. The German customs officials told me they expected things to be much quicker and smoother after EU enlargement.
But they will still be checking passports and identity cards b
eca
use
the Czechs
are joining the EU, not the Schengen group.
There was some confusion when I asked for
more details about this - for example, how much Germans can enjoy the cheaper shopping opportunities on the Czech side.
Eventually, however, a list was produced showing the many limitations that will remain in place for a transition period lasting up to seven years.
Sour taste
For possibly the same period of time, the Czechs will not have freedom to work in Germany - something else that sours the taste of EU membership. But it is perhaps not surprising the Germans are only half-opening the door.
When I stopped off in Zittau to buy a paper, the owner of the shop told me she was concerned that enlargement would result in more companies de-camping over the border.
&q
uot;Of course it's good that Europe's re-uniting," she said, "but people are worried about the consequences."
It is a variation on a tune I've heard
through
out the
last two weeks. <b
r>
For the accession countries, EU membership has been a long-term objective. Its achievement is bringing not only hope of a
better future, but also considerable anxiety.
Diary: Anxiety over a future in Europe
By Ray Furlong
BBC Berlin correspondent
Central Europeans are unsure what EU membership will bring
With less than a month to go before 10 countries join the EU, the BBC's Berlin correspondent Ray Furlong is keeping a diary for News Online as he journeys around Eastern Europe.
In his tenth instalment, he finds Czechs unsure as to how to feel about their impending unity with neighbouring Germany and Poland.
Meeting Martin Puta was a refreshing start to the last day of my journey.
At 32-years-old he is one of the youngest mayors in the Czec
Republic and is full of optimism for his town, Hradek nad Nisou.
Click here for a map of Ray's route
"We stand to benefit from open markets and open borders," he said, adding
r
r
tha
Czechs, Poles and Germans would also get to know each other better.
As i
f to prove the point, he is soon getting married to a town councillor from the nearby Polish town of Botadynia.
Hradek, population 7,000, lies at the juncture of the three countries' borders and will host official celebrations on 1 May attended by all the heads of their governments.
Job fears
But outside of the quaint town hall building, the locals were not relishing the prospect of EU membership - the rest of my stay was sleepier and decidedly less positive.
On the town square, people I spoke to were concerned that prices would rise and jobs would be lost. While at a nearby factory, they had knocked off early because it was Friday.
When I crossed the border, there was a long q
ueue of cars. The German customs officials told me they expected things to be much quicker and smoother after EU enlargement.
But they will still be checking passports and identity cards b
eca
use
the Czechs
are joining the EU, not the Schengen group.
There was some confusion when I asked for
more details about this - for example, how much Germans can enjoy the cheaper shopping opportunities on the Czech side.
Eventually, however, a list was produced showing the many limitations that will remain in place for a transition period lasting up to seven years.
Sour taste
For possibly the same period of time, the Czechs will not have freedom to work in Germany - something else that sours the taste of EU membership. But it is perhaps not surprising the Germans are only half-opening the door.
When I stopped off in Zittau to buy a paper, the owner of the shop told me she was concerned that enlargement would result in more companies de-camping over the border.
&q
uot;Of course it's good that Europe's re-uniting," she said, "but people are worried about the consequences."
It is a variation on a tune I've heard
through
out the
last two weeks. <b
r>
For the accession countries, EU membership has been a long-term objective. Its achievement is bringing not only hope of a
better future, but also considerable anxiety.