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Book abstract:
This is the fourth book in a series, launched in 2002, which largely comprise essays in the contemporary history of the European Union. The book is organised in six parts.
Part one provides background history with chapters featuring the period 1950s to 1990s, the 'annus mirabilis' 1999 and the period January 2000 to June 2002.
Part two carries the story from July to October 2002, the period of the Danish Presidency determined to complete the work of then fifth enlargement commenced at the Copenhagen Council of June 1993. Chapter four tells how the Danish government prepared for the challenge and of the other issues which might impede their progress. Chapter five gives a brief review of the plans made by the ten front-runners in the candidate countries and how their preparations differed. Council reform is examined in chapter six. Outstanding issues in bilateral negotiations and technical matters relating to candidates' entitlement to budgetary compensation are covered in chapter seven. Two critically important Commission reports are dealt with in chapters eight and nine. The CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) is the subject of chapter eight and the Commission's review of progress by the 13 candidate countries is discussed in chapter nine. The difficulties surrounding Turkey's membership are explored in chapter ten. Kaliningrad and the EU's relations with this Russian enclave are examined in chapter eleven. Some important domestic political developments are discussed in chapter twelve including the Irish Referendum, the collapse of the Dutch coalition and the new government in Germany.
Part three covers the Brussels European Council, the first to be held under the Council's new Rules of Procedure. The making of the Brussels Council Conclusions is dealt with in chapter thirteen. An overview of the Brussels Council is provided in chapter fourteen and chapter fifteen offers a paragraph-by-paragraph commentary on the Brussels Conclusions.
The fourth part covers the period between Brussels and the Copenhagen Council, and chapter sixteen deals with the final stages of negotiations with the enlargement candidates. Issues relating to Bulgaria and Romania are covered in chapter seventeen and those relating to Turkey in chapter eighteen. The final phase of the Kaliningrad negotiation and its related Russian ingredient are discussed in chapter nineteen. Chapter twenty discusses the efforts to persuade the European Council to adopt a common position on Council reform in general and the reform of the presidency in particular.
The Copenhagen Council of December 2002 is the focus of part five and the framework is set out in chapter twenty-one. The paragraph-by-paragraph analysis of the Conclusions is given in chapter twenty-two. The concluding part six explores the 'new Europe' which followed from the Copenhagen Council. Chapter twenty-three draws conclusions on the 'how' and the 'why' of the fifth enlargement relating to its initiation and completion. Chapter twenty-four addresses some of the fundamental questions that remain unanswered regarding this enlargement and any to come in the future.
The work will interest scholars and students engaged in European studies, policy researchers and practitioners in European Union politics.
Peter Ludlow, chairman of EuroComment and founding director of CEPS, is widely recognised as one of the leading experts on the politics and institutions of the European Union.
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