Technically, the Portuguese EU presidency, lasting from January through June, was an unqualified success. First-wave countries have now officially opened talks on the 29 chapters that can be broached at this stage. Yet they have only now opened talks on two of the most controversial areas. The prospect that citizens of new EU members could live and work anywhere within the EU frightens Germany and Austria, who fear an influx of immigrant workers.
Agricultural policy is another stumbling block.
Most current EU member states want to deny new members the full benefits of their generous farm subsidies, arguing that subsidizing new members' farmers would be too expensive for EU taxpayers. This, too, is resisted by all candidates, who demand equal treatment. The uncertainty over the contentious chapters has spilled over to the EU's attitudes towards enlargement. Leading candidates have for some time accused the EU of dragging its feet. First-wave candidates demand fixed accession dates by the end of the year, as promised earlier by the European Commission.