The final version of the European Union accession treaty for the 10 new member states set to join next year was approved by the EU yesterday, thus ending a five-year period of settling conditions for the bloc's expansion.

The EU's representatives reached one more decision, namely that none of the unilateral declarations made by candidate states exempts the future members from abiding by European law.

Yesterday, representatives debated the treaty for less than two hours, and promptly concluded that there would be no major modifications to the terms negotiated in December at the Copenhagen summit. The EU authorities decided to include all declarations previously made by the candidates. Poland submitted the following propositions: Security of the fruit market from EU competition and independent regulations of "moral matters regarding the defense of life."

Poland A.M.