Europe | Bulgaria and Romania

The new kids on the block

The European Union's two newest members, Bulgaria and Romania, are both economically and politically backward

|bucharest and sofia

WILL it work again? It is tempting to join the revellers in Bucharest and Sofia who seem to believe that European Union membership promises untold riches. The eight ex-communist states that joined in 2004 have done pretty well. Bulgaria and Romania are already growing strongly; EU money will help.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The new kids on the block”

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From the January 6th 2007 edition

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