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Publishers Abstract:
On Jan 1, 2007, the sixth enlargement of the European Union and the European Communities took place, involving an expansion to a total of twenty-seven Member States. In political terms this enlargement should be considered as a continuation of the process initiated by the European Council in Copenhagen in 1993. However important the political factor is, it has never been at the heart of concerns of either of the sides. It is the legal and economic preparedness that has been causing headaches among the existing Member States. The article starts by outlining the structure of the Accession Treaty. The complexity is directly linked to the constitutional reform of the European Union and arrangements set forth by the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Upon accession, Bulgarian and Romanian representatives have become full-fledged members of the Council. The key question remains whether this legal framework will be sufficient to make the last round of enlargement a success.
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