Extreme Europe: Easternmost

The new EU will stretch more than 3,000 kilometres from east to west, spanning three time zones and a dramatic array of climates.

The smallest EU state will be home to just a few hundred thousand, the largest will boast nearly 90 million. The average yearly income in one country will not be much more than the typical monthly wage in another.

In a Europe of such contrasts, BBC News Online asked those living in the extremities to discuss their hopes and fears for the future of an enlarged EU.

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Name: Xenia Andreou
Age:37
Occupation: Secondary school teacher
Country: Cyprus, the new EU's most easterly state.

Cyprus joining the EU makes me feel relief, exuberance, and pride. It's simply the best thing to have happened to Cyprus in its tortuous history.

My greatest hope is that joining will mean a steady change of our political and social mentalities as well as our legal framework to reflect the values and principles behind the European project.

Politically, with or without a solution of the Cyprus problem, Cypriots will feel more secure belonging to the European family. I have no fears about our impending accession, but certainly I feel regret that our already declining agriculture will be dealt a fatal blow and delicious local produce will be edged out by cheaper imports.

What will it mean in practice living in the EU's most easterly member state?

Being geographically at one of the most isolated outposts of Europe, on the doorstep of the unstable Middle East, it is reassuring to have hooked our anchor to Europe and its institutions to which we always felt we naturally belonged.

What do you feel Cyprus has in common with western countries?

A common cultural heritage, and a shared political philosophy that has its roots in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.