"We're in!"-this statement could actually be enough for this entire editorial. As one commentator put it, May 1 will mark a "definitive end of Yalta." The division of Europe into better and worse-imposed by the Soviet Union after World War II, with the passivity of Western superpowers-is finally becoming a thing of the past. Poland and other countries in the region are entering a European family of free nations. Many of them earlier secured a place in NATO, thus gaining unprecedented security guarantees. Now they are winning an equally unprecedented chance for dynamic development. However, nothing will be for free; EU accession will not automatically lead to a wave of prosperity; instead, it will be a difficult test for the economy and society, especially in the first few years. Poles will have to take a crash course in functioning according to EU standards. This process will be neither easy nor painless; it is no wonder then that in the days leading up to accession, no major signs of euphoria can be seen in Poland. Sociological research shows that accession is not at all improving the mood of a majority of citizens. Consequently, the ceremonies planned for May 1 will chiefly involve the power elite and the communities that were always gung-ho on European integration.

On a more positive note, the Polish economy is revving up at this historic moment of EU accession. Gross domestic product grew an unprecedented 6 percent in the first quarter of the year. Industry is scaling new heights, with sold production in March almost 24-percent higher than in March 2003. Evidently, Poland will be joining the EU at a time of booming business, both internally and in most member countries.

On the other hand, politics has hardly changed for the better. Prime Minister-Designate Marek Belka's seems to stand a slim chance of coming up with a Cabinet by May 2 when Leszek Miller is scheduled to step down. A recent vote on the new Sejm speaker demonstrated that the ruling coalition may have major problems securing a parliamentary majority for a vote of confidence in Belka and his government: the Democratic Left Alliance's Józef Oleksy, an otherwise popular politician, was elected by a narrow margin of one vote.