Poland in the European Union – since 1 May 2004, Poland has been a member state of the European Union, with the Treaty of Accession 2003 signed on 16 April 2003 in Athens being the legal basis for Poland's accession to the EU. The actual process of integrating Poland into the EU began with Poland's application for membership in Athens on 8 April 1994, and then the confirmation of the application by all member states in Essen from 9–10 December 1994. Poland's integration into the European Union is a dynamic and continuously ongoing process.