“Lessons from Financing the ‘Silent’ Enlargement of the European Union in 1990”

In this paper I will show that lessons from financing Eastern Germany are always neglected when thinking about the problems of financing next enlargements. This paper does not aim at an evaluation of the financial aid to East Germany nor at an evaluation of the EU’s structural policy. This is done elsewhere. Moreover, it should be noted that this paper does in no way glorify the measures and programmes implemented in East Germany. The shortcomings of the “East-German-strategy” will be shown clearly in the following sections. This paper’s central question is: What are the lessons both the European Union and the Central and East European applicant countries can draw from the EU’s “silent” Eastern enlargement in 1990