The NATO factor: a spanner in the works of EU and WEU enlargement [in ‘Back to Europe. Central and Eastern Europe and the European Union’, p53-67]

Back to Europe: Central and Eastern Europe and the European Union:

The face of Europe has changed completely since 1989, and what ten years ago would have been unthinkable - the integration of the formerly Communist eastern Europe into the European Union - is about to become a reality. In this book a number of academic researchers from the disciplines of economics and political science, along with experts in international relations and diplomatic practitioners, from both the fields of EU studies and Central and Eastern Europe have been brought together to produce a substantial analysis of the many different issues involved in the process of enlarging the EU eastwards.

Following an introductory overview chapter that looks at the main developments in EU policy towards the central and east European countries (CEECs), the following chapters are grouped together into three sections. Part I examines the significance of the EU and eastern enlargement in the context of the new European security order. In Part II contributors look at the economic and institutional challenges presented by the prospective new members to the EU. Part III takes perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe, and examines how the EU is viewed through the prism of domestic politics.