Recreating Europe. The European Union’s policy towards Central and Eastern Europe

Recreating Europe. The European Union's policy towards Central and Eastern Europe:
The enlargement of the European Union to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is the final step in the reintegration of the continent after almost half a century of forced division. This book is a substantial description and analysis of the development of relations between the EU and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, concentrating on the dramatic developments of the last ten years.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I considers the development of relations between the Central and Eastern European countries and the Union from the early 1980s through to the present in overview form. Part II analyses in detail the Association Agreements signed between the EU and the individual countries of the region after 1990. Part III considers the questions of the next enlargement from the basis of an understanding of the Association Agreements. The key problems for enlargement are treated in detail, notably agriculture, the Structural Funds and the whole question of how the EU can operate with twenty five or more members.

The author maintains that the whole of Europe wins from wider integration. For the CEEC countries it means becoming anchored in a democratic union of nations rather than floating dangerously between East and West. It also meaning guaranteed open markets to the West. For the EU there are gains politically, from the security point of view and in the economy. Enlargement will also force the EU to reform itself. Nevertheless, there are also great challenges in the process and the author also looks at these and the lack of enthusiasm for enlargement that is apparent in some existing EU Member States.

Mayhew, Alan
Recreating Europe. The European Union's policy towards Central and Eastern Europe
Cambridge University Press, 1998
ISBN: 0-521-63086-X (Hbk)/ 0-521-63897-6 (Pbk)
Price: £45.00 (Hbk)/ £15.95 (Pbk)