10269. THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND THE CHALLENGE OF EASTERN EUROPE. This paper examines the changing relationship between the European Community (EC) and the newly emerging democracies in Eastern Europe. The investigation looks at the different approaches taken by the three Eastern European countries most closely aligned with the west -- Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. The conclusion looks at the specific steps undertaken by the EC to date in facilitating Eastern European reform and makes recommendations on future action. 25 pages, 58 footnotes, 43 bibliographic sources.