The challenge of enlargementThe Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty, a non-aggression treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, signed in Moscow on August 23, 1939, provided for the Soviet annexation of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary, on August 23, 1989, the Baltic States formed a human chain stretching 600 kilometers from the foot of the Toompea limestone hills in Tallinn, Estonia, to the Gediminas Tower in Vilnius, in Lithuania, crossing the Riga River on its way to the banks of the Daugava River in Latvia. It was called the Baltic Way and represented the people's aspiration for independence and a better life. On September 6, 1991, the Soviet Union fulfilled the wish of the Baltic people by recognizing their independence. (Eglitis, 2008) Across the Atlantic today, the collapse of the global real estate market, which peaked in the United States in 2006, has caused the values ​​of securities linked to property prices, causing the collapse of financial institutions globally. American Life, 2009). Bank bailouts by national governments have become the norm. Questions regarding bank solvency, diminishing access to credit and loss of investor confidence have also impacted global stock markets. Many economists now consider it the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. (Reuters, 2009) In Europe, Latvia is the only Baltic country to have received bailout funds to avoid bankruptcy. At the signing of the agreement totaling 7.5 billion euros with the EU, the IMF and other lenders. Its economy suffered the deepest economic contraction since independence 20 years ago as it was particularly vulnerable to global financial crises. This global recession has...... middle of paper ......tudies.com/bulgaria/ Society.htmlForelle, C. (March 2, 2009). The EU rejects the rescue of a faltering Eastern Europe. Wall Street Journal, p. A1. Hilary Ingham, M.I. (2003). EU expansion towards the East: prospects and problems. Edward Elgar Pub. Metz, H.C. (1995). Türkiye: a country study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress.Mitterauer, M. Historical family forms in Eastern Europe in European comparison.Nieuwbeert, GK (2000). Parental origin and differentiation of lifestyles in Eastern Europe: social, political and cultural intergenerational transmission in five former socialist societies. Social Science Research, 92-122.PRI's This American Life. (April 5, 2009). Giant money pool wins Peabody.Reuters. (2009). Three leading economists agree on 2009's worst financial crisis since the Great Depression; Risks increase if the right measures are not taken. Business Feed .