2004 EU eastward enlargement

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The bulk of the Swiss financial contribution goes to Poland, the largest of the ten countries that joined the EU in 2004. Picture of the Palace of Culture built during the Soviet era in Warsaw's city centre. (swissinfo.ch) swissinfo.ch

Estonia is the smallest and northernmost of the three Baltic Republics. A weather vane, named Old Thomas, is a warrior and guardian of the capital Tallinn. (wikimedia/Gunnar Bach Pedersen) Keystone

St Peter's Church in Latvia's capital, Riga, with its 137-metre-high wooden spire, is one of the most significant Gothic churches in the Baltics. Latvia lies between Estonia and Lithuania and borders Russia. (Keystone)

Situated on the Baltic Sea, Lithuania borders Belarus and Lativa to the east and north. The Cathedral of the Theotokos in the capital Vilnius was built before the christianisation of Lithuania. (wikipedia) wikipedia

Prague has been the political, cultural and economic centre of the Czech state for more than 1,100 years. A view of the medieval Charles Bridge over the Vltava River and Prague Castle in the background. (Reuters/Petr Josek) Keystone

The Bratislava Castle overlooks the Danube River in the Slovak capital. Slovakia was created when Czechoslovakia was split in two entities in 1993. (Keystone/Jana Misauerova) Keystone

Hungary is commonly associated with paprika and puszta, the typical spice and the wilderness of grass and bushes. The capital, Budapest, is famous for its nine bridges over the river Danube. A view of the Chain Bridge inaugurated in 1849. (Keystone/Bela Szandelszky) Keystone

Slovenia is the only state of the former Yugoslavia which survived the military conflict in the 1990s without suffering destruction. It is an alpine country and borders the Adriatic Sea. A view of the resort of Bled and its lake. (Keystone/Antonio Bat) Keystone

Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, was divided after Turkey's invasion in 1974 after a dispute with Greece. Cyprus occupies an important role in Greek mythology, being the birthplace of Aphrodite (Venus), the goodess of love and beauty who emerged from the foam of the sea. (Rome National Museum, wikimedia commons/Marie-Lan Nguyen) Wikipedia

Malta consists of an archipelago south of Sicily. It is - like Luxembourg - one of the smallest EU member states. Its location has given it stragetic importance throughout history. An aerial view shows the harbours on both sides of the capital, La Valletta. (Keystone/Lino Arrigo Azziopardi) Keystone

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Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus.

In 2006 Swiss voters approved SFr1 billion for projects to promote cohesion within the EU. As a non-EU member Switzerland contributes to efforts to reduce social disparities and in exchange receives access to new markets. (Alexander Künzle, swissinfo.ch)