The European Union and Central and Eastern Europe. The implications of enlargement in stages

Book abstract:

Ten Central and East European countries (CEECs) applied for EU membership between 1994 and 1996. These were Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. All have signed association agreements with the EU and all are participants in the EU's 'pre-accession strategy', intended to help prepare them for membership, which will depend ultimately on whether they meet certain conditions.

This book aims to analyse the implications of the process of enlargement in the EU in stages. The first half is concerned with the criteria likely to be used in deciding whether countries are ready to join. Then follows a discussion of the consequences of enlargement in waves for the EU institutions, the structural funds, the Common Agricultural Policy and the EU budget. The following section deals with the wider economic implications for trade, competitiveness, foreign direct investment, growth, the location of industry, and labour migration, as well as the implications for foreign and security policy. The final part discusses possible solutions to the problems posed by Eastward enlargement of the EU. It concludes that this enlargement in stages will not resolve the fundamental problems posed by accession of the CEECs to the EU. To cope with increased diversity in a larger Union, other forms of differentiated integration will have to be devised. The final two chapters of the book discuss possible solutions to these problems.

The book includes a number of appendices which outline the main features of the Europe Agreements and give background economic statistics for the CEECs.