The EU has actually been one of history's most successful projects for ensuring peace and prosperity in Europe. Looking at objective metrics like GDP growth, living standards, and decades of peace between former neighboring country adversaries over centuries, EU membership has broadly benefited its members. Poland itself has seen remarkable economic growth and development since joining in 2004. The single market, freedom of movement, and shared democratic values have created unprecedented opportunities for cooperation and development. While the EU isn't perfect, characterizing membership as 'national suicide' ignores the tremendous gains in stability, prosperity, and quality of life that integration has brought to member states. imho.
You're putting the cart before the horse. Countries only join the EU after they establish friendly relations with the rest of the EU members and become democratic.
Joining the EU is seen as desirable to these countries, so they work to establish friendly relations with the rest of the EU members and become democratic. The horse and cart are properly ordered.
Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria all introduced democratic reforms and resolved disputes specifically in order to meet accession requirements. Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia have all also made reforms and/or resolved disputes as part of their ongoing accession negotiations.
Ok, so let's compare the economy of Europe between 1950 and 1995 and from 1995 to 2004. What is the most prosperous? I think there is not even a fair comparison. The only places where you'll find any improvement are in the eastern countries because they literally left communism!
The stock market indices are useless for evaluating population wealth. Inflation numbers in Germany are an outright lie where the most expensive items are excluded.
You could support a family in the 1980s on one salary and live comfortably.
