The European Union is dead. Long live the European Union … A commentary on the Treaty of Accession 2003

Abstract:

The European Union enlargement that took place on May 1, 2004 is governed by the Treaty of Accession signed in Athens in April 2003. This Treaty establishes the conditions of accession of the 10 new Member States to the Union, and the adjustments to the EU legal order that such admission entails. While partly imitating previous enlargement practice, the Treaty of Athens nevertheless contains more elaborate arrangements than earlier Accession Treaties, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This commentary looks at some of these arrangements, focusing notably on the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, the Economic and Monetary Union, and the movement of workers. Particular attention is also devoted to the unprecedented safeguard clauses that the Treaty includes. Finally, the commentary seeks to shed light on some of the institutional and external implications of this enlargement.