Slovenia enters the European Union on May…

Relationships between Moldova and Russia deteriorate over the Transnistrian conflict.

During the 2005 parliamentary elections the Russian Federation tries to influence the election process by intensively favorable coverage of pro-Russian candidates in the Russian mass media and by organizing meetings and agitation campaigns using the Russian CIS-EMO organization (“Elections Monitoring Organization”), which is not recognized internationally as an independent election observer and which had a poor record in the previous Kyrgyzstan election.

As a response to the security threat, Moldovan authorities denied entry to the Republic of Moldova for the members of the CIS-EMO organization.

Some who nonetheless made their way into the Republic were found distributing leaflets and actively participating in the election campaign, despite not having a valid Moldovan passport or any proof of Moldovan citizenship or any permission from the election authority.

These members were consequently deported from the country.

This action angered the Russian side.

As a consequence, Russian-Moldovan ties greatly weakened, and the nation is split between building ties with the West or with Russia.

In the 2005 elections, the Communist party changes course and President Vorodin wins re-election to a second term.

Greece has become one of the key supporters of Turkey's struggle to enter the European Union, but certain key issues remain unresolved.

Turkey continues to deny access to Cypriot vessels to its territory, an obligation towards the EU attached to a 2006 deadline.

Turkey maintains that this restriction regarding Cypriot vessels had been taken after the trade embargo decision against the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The issue remains as a deadlock on which EU, Greece and Turkey must agree on a common ground giving equal trade rights to both polities in Cyprus.

Other unfulfilled obligations include Christian minority rights, acknowledgement of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, and the role of the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Bulgaria, having signed the Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005, is set to join the European Union at the earliest on 1 January 2007.

EU member states' representatives in Luxembourg, Abbaye de Neumünster, signs the Treaty of Accession of Romania on April 25, 2005.

Ratification of the Romanian and Bulgarian Accession Treaty is ongoing in the parliaments of all member states, both countries being at an advanced stage to join on January 1, 2007.

...Cyprus, ...

...Malta, ...

...the Czech Republic, ...

...Estonia.

...Latvia, and ...

...Lithuania, ...