This week, the European Union marks the 20^th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement. On 1 May 2004, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU. In her address to Parliament last week, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen described this moment in the EU’s integration process as “the birth of a new era”. In the 20 years since, a statement from the Commission reads, “nearly 450 million Europeans have enjoyed freedom of movement across a larger Union. Citizens have stronger rights and freedoms. The economies of the then-new Member States have boomed, their agricultural production has tripled, and their unemployment rates have been cut by half”. And the countries that were already members at the time of the 2004 enlargement “have also experienced growth and prosperity. This enlargement has provided more EU citizens and businesses with opportunities to study and work abroad, invest and export in a wider Union”. Last but not least: “The 2004 enlargement has also strengthened Europe’s voice on the global stage”. To mark the 20^th anniversary of the enlargement, the European Commission has set up a website to explain, from various perspectives, the developments and changes that have occurred since 2004.