According to those trying to push the economic benefits of enlargement of the European Union from 15 to 25 member states, Scotland has shown little more than lukewarm interest and risks losing the initiative.
Online businessman John Paul Anderson cannot wait to seize the opportunities that have opened up for him this weekend. But he may be in a small minority.
Anderson claims there is much to be gained: "In terms of business and intellectual property rights [IPR] co-operation with the new member states, there are billions of euros to be made."
Anderson, who runs Ready Steady Trade Online, an e-commerce company, has targeted the Czech Republic and Baltic States and is relishing the opening up of trade with former eastern bloc countries. "Many of these countries are only a two-hour flight away, English speaking, have a lower cost of labour and are committed to growth," he says.
