In preparing for EU membership it's important that aspirants not only do the right things but say them too. That's why among east European applicants most of the public complaints about the cumbersome procedure are about the lack of a target date, the risks of delay and the prospect of being foisted with second-class membership with limits on freedom of labour movement and reduced subsidies for agriculture.
In private, however, senior officials from governments in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia - the countries most advanced in their negotiations - are starting to express different worries. They fear that the EU's heavy-handed bureaucracy and its onerous regulations could stifle the entrepreneurial spirit that has been unleashed in their countries since the fall of communism. Imposing First-world environmental and labour standards in what are still emerging markets could lose them their competitive edge, complain officials. "Sometimes talking to Brussels...
