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The European Union standard is defined as a threshold: the minimum level of achievement of the eight post-Communist countries joining the EU in 2004. The standard is applied to seven rounds of New Europe Barometer (NEB) public opinion surveys that ask citizens of Bulgaria, Romania and the eight post-Communist enlargement countries--Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia--to evaluate the political and economic performance of their governments. The most recent NEB round was in autumn, 2004 and the first in autumn, 1991. In total more than 60,000 persons have been interviewed. Bulgaria and Romania are below the poorest showing of enlargement governments on some indicators, such as living standards and corruption. On other indicators, such as gains in freedom and attitudes to dictatorship, both countries are above the EU threshold.
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