EU Change?

There has been much talk about the Baltic states entering the EU on May 1, 2004. But has anyone noticed any practical changes? We asked businessmen throughout the Baltic, but received only one serious—well, semi-serious—answer:

“One of the unquestionable changes has been longer passport line-ups for the Finns upon their return from Finland—the Estonians can now join the EU line-ups. The border guards are now checking everyone’s passports more carefully. No doubt the Finns are very grateful for this change.”
–Hillar Lauri, Estonia

Most businessmen we talked with seemed to conclude there was little practical change—yet. A few made little effort to disguise their lack of enthusiasm for the EU in general and their perception of how this is affecting the work force:

“Well, the weather is nicer [since EU entry].
As a business owner, I find I don’t have to work as much since the competition knocks off early.
The two-hour lunches are pleasant.
In the grocery store I noticed an ‘EU Lager’ in the beer aisle the other day. I’m pretty sure we didn’t have those before.
It’s entirely done away with corruption, which is nice.
I was given a huge grant the other day to fund my study on grant writing.
And my facial blemishes have cleared up.”
–Jerry Wirth, Latvia

“Estonia’s business climate is becoming more European. This means that summer is more important than business.”
—Rain Eisler, Estonia

“Ever since 1991, Baltic napkins have increased in size. I believe on May 1 they became European standard.”
– Charles E. Winchester, Vilnius