As I write this, the Tribe has earned a season record of 21 wins and 26 losses. How disappointing and dull. Certainly the Tribe has not yet inspired anything for the history books. On the contrary, the European Union (E.U.) has definitely added a chapter to its history by allowing ten new countries to join. This is the largest expansion of the E.U. since it was established after World War II.

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia all became official members of the E.U. on May 1, bumping the number of member countries from 15 up to 25. Debates about this expansion have been happening in pubs, beer gardens, cafes, plazas and family dining rooms all over Europe for years, but have become more frequent and intense as the official joining date approached and finally arrived. Some people view the E.U. expansion, which brings the E.U. population to 450 million, as a positive thing, others feel that it is going to challenge the financial stability of the E.U.

I did not do well in my economics course in college and I cannot predict how the influx of members will influence business, markets and E.U. legislation. Truthfully, I have not yet contemplated it too deeply (and like the Tribe season, it is early days to be making sweeping predictions about overall results). What does excite me about the E.U. expansion is the chance that London will become even more ethnically diverse than it already is.

Cleveland is a culturally diverse city too, home to over 80 different nationalities, including strong Hungarian and Polish communities. Visiting www.clevelandmemory.org/hungarians I learned that Cleveland once hosted the largest Hungarian population outside of Budapest, and there is an ebook there full of information about the Hungarian community in Cleveland. At www.clevelandmemory.org/ebooks/polish  there is an ebook about the Polish community, and I wonder, all those nights when I ate pierogies for dinner, do I have the Polish influence in Cleveland to thank, or just my great-grandma who was born in Poland?

I don’t know how much the E.U. expansion will directly affect the people living in London, myself included, immediately. Initially, huge floods of immigrants were expected in the United Kingdom and Ireland because they were the only existing E.U. countries allowing citizens of the new member states the right to work within their borders. Even though there are technically ten new E.U. countries, the integration is phased, and full benefits of being an E.U. citizen are phased too.

Thus far, weeks after the initial “flood” of people from Poland, the Czech Republic and other countries was expected, you can hardly tell the difference in London. There may be a few more eastern European accents, but with tourist season starting, who knows if there is truly an influx of new immigrants or if there is simply more sensitivity to eastern European accents due to all of the hype.

It takes a while for any group of people to be comfortable in a new place, but Cleveland and London both illustrate the richness that ethnic diversity can bring to a city, not to mention the great food. (Check out Laura Taxel’s “Cleveland Ethnic Eats 2004: The Guide to Authentic Ethnic Restaurants and Markets in Northeast Ohio” if you are craving a certain kind of cuisine, or your tummy is rumbling and you are headed to a specific neighborhood. It is a fantastic resource).

Does the E.U. expansion affect Cleveland residents? Indirectly, of course. Directly, maybe. If you come to Europe for a vacation (or maybe to research your family history), it will be easier to travel because more airlines are opening routes to new E.U. destinations. If you work independently or with a global organization, the business opportunities in the new E.U. member states are tremendous. Some of you who have European citizenship may now even find yourself to be a member of the E.U., able to live and work in places that you might not have been legally able to before May.

Overall, I believe the expansion of the E.U. to be a good thing. And, if you
are a Cleveland resident traveling to London or a new member of the E.U.
here searching for an opportunity to work, all I have to say is… welcome.