The EU took in 10 new members - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic - on 1 May, 2004.

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The first, comprising the poorest eight new members - Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Malta - will have a fifth of the EU population but on average just 42% of the GNP per capita.

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Luckily for Europe's self-respect, Poland sized up the situation and, helped by Lithuania, joined America in pushing for a fair election and an orderly transfer of power.

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Meanwhile a squabble with Lithuania has annoyed neighbours that would prefer to see Poland as a leader, not a score-settler.

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Lithuania-born Miss Baliutaviciene's naked body was found in a field in western Poland two months later, but prosecutors never found out where she was killed.

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It has been closely involved with preparations for membership by the five most developed Eastern European countries - Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia - and the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, who are all expected to join the EU in 2004.

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