Mr Eichel also rejected any 'horse trading' between the German and Spanish governments on the issue of enlargement. He criticised the Spanish government's position that it would only agree to German demands for seven-year transition periods for the free movement of Eastern European workers if EU regional aid to Spain remains unchanged.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen criticised the national governments for raising "unbelievably narrow-minded" objections to enlargement. He complained that EU Member States have a tendency to see the candidate countries mainly as a potential drain on EU funds. He said that the EU's expansion to Central and Eastern Europe was indispensable for European security and stability.
