Search

This report presents the results of a survey by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, which describes for the first time the working conditions and quality of work and employment in the 13 acceding and candidate countries involved in the EU enlargement process. This covers Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia which will accede to the EU in May 2004; as well as Bulgaria and Romania which hope to join by 2007, and Turkey which is not currently negotiating its membership).

Information is key in any effort to promote cohesion in Europe. Seeking to address gaps in existing knowledge, the Foundation launched its European Quality of Life Survey in 2003. The first results of this ambitious attempt to explore quality of life issues in 28 countries--the EU25 and three candidate countries, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey--provide a comprehensive portrait of the face of an enlarged Europe. A resume on this topic is also available (EF0495).