The signing of the Accession Treaty with 10 future members of the European Union on 16^th April 2003 will constitute an event of key importance for current and future EU Member States as well as being of great significance for EU-US relations.

The EU as well as the 13 acceding and associated countries have therefore decided to come together to undertake several events in New York during the second half of April and May to celebrate this occasion. 

The current 15 Members of the European Union are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Candidate countries signing the Treaty of Accession are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The associated countries expected to join the EU at a later stage are Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

Main Event:

EU Accession celebrations will center around a major reception to be hosted by the EU Presidency, European Commission and EU acceding and associated countries in New York. The reception will take place at the Hungarian Consulate General on 28 April 7:00-9:00pm. All 28 current EU, acceding and associated countries as well as important segments of the US political, business, media and academic community in New York will be present. This event is by invitation only.

Other Accession Celebration Events:

1. "The Impact of EU Expansion on the Atlantic Relationship" April 25, 6:00-8:30pm sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Club, hosted by the Polish Consul General at the Consulate General of Poland, 233 Madison Av., NYC. The panel will consist of Bosguslaw W. Winid, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Poland in Washington; Mr. Von Ungern-Sternberg, Minister Plenipotentiary, Head of the Political Department of the German UN-Mission; and George Cunningham, Head of Press and Public Affairs at the European Commission Delegation to the UN.  Stephen Blank, President of the Mid-Atlantic Club, will moderate.

2. The European Union Studies Center, the Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Av., NYC, Room: 9206/07.  "Poland - a Future member of the European Union" Speaker: Ms. Danuta Hubner, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. Date: Monday, April 28,2003 Time: 17:30-19:00 RSVP by April 27, 2003 (phone: 212-817 2051 or Email: eusc@gc.cuny.edu ).

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