European Commission President Romano Prodi has urged EU members to offer the 10 membership applicants all the financial support originally budgeted for enlargement of the 15-member bloc.
"I think that if we spend all the money . . . [it] will not be a bad deal," Mr Prodi said in an interview.
The sum the EU allocated in 1999 for enlargement is €2 billion larger than the financial package agreed by the bloc's heads of state and government in October this year.
Some of the 10 candidate countries, notably Poland, aware of this, have been holding out for more direct support and bigger production quotas for their farmers.
The country, under pressure from populist politicians and its many small farmers, is pressing for more farm subsidies and higher farm output quotas.
It and Malta appear to be the candidates furthest from reaching agreement on membership terms.
Denmark has told Poland yesterday it risked missing the deadline for completing EU membership talks.
