How to join the club: Poland, pre-accession and Agenda 2000

In July 1997 the Commission published 'Agenda 2000' a communication designed to deal with future challenges for the European Union. The following year a revised or enhanced pre-accession strategy was adopted. This article focuses upon those parts of the communication which deal with accession. It analyses the impact of Agenda 2000 and the enhanced pre-accession strategy applied to Central and Eastern European states, particularly Poland.