Pushing back the boundaries. The European Union and Central and Eastern Europe

Pushing back the boundaries: the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe:

This volume explores the relationship between the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since 1989 and the conditions that have shaped them, focusing upon the contribution by the EU to political, economic and social change within CEE countries in the context of a gradually emerging 'European' policy. It discusses, critically, responses in both Eastern and Western Europe to these developments - culminating in Agenda 2000, the European Commission's proposed framework, published in June 1997, for managing these massive changes. A central concern of the book is the extent to which the economic, political and cultural boundaries of the EU can be pushed. The volume is divided into two parts. Part one examines EU-CEE relations in the context of the themes of democracy, economics, gender, the environment and regional security. Part two concentrates on four case studies, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary and Poland, these countries being the first to pursue closer relations with the EU during the late 1980's, their relatively longer experience of association with the EU therefore providing greater opportunity for assessment of its impacts. The studies also illustrate the divergence of opinion and competition that exists between the CEE countries in anticipation of closer association with or accession to the EU. While part one themes are reflected in the country portraits, each focuses upon those attributes or policy areas which, in each case, are of particular significance in shaping relations with the EU. The book concludes with two detailed chronologies of EU-CEE relations, The Cold War and Europe (1945-88) and The development of relations between the EC/EU and CEEC (1989-98), along with a summary of the current Agenda 2000 proposal for EU enlargement.

The editor, Mike Mannin is Principal Lecturer in European Studies and Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration at Liverpool John Moores University.