we saw our entry into the ew on the one hand as external of the fact that we had relatively quickly over course of years since the fall communism a 
We saw our entry into the EU, on the one hand, as external confirmation of the fact that we had relatively quickly, over the course of almost fifteen years since the fall of communism, become a normal European country again.
We saw our entry into the EU, on the one hand, as external of the fact that we had relatively quickly, over course of years since the fall communism, a European again.