8 EU enlargement in times of crisis: Strategic enlargement, the conditionality principle and the future of the “Ever-Closer Union”
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Sören Keil
Abstract
The European Union’s (EU) enlargement policy has been an integral part of its historical development since the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Several enlargement rounds have ensured that the EU has grown to include a majority of the countries of the European continent. Yet, enlargement has never been a straightforward process and has been characterised by compromises, concessions, and strategic considerations. However, recent developments in Hungary and Poland have questioned the ability of the EU to ensure democratic governance amongst its members, and a lack of progress in the integration of the Western Balkan states also questions the EU’s willingness to enlarge any further at this point in time. Enlargement fatigue has been carrying the day since the big bang enlargement and increases the likelihood of mere ’strategic accession’ in the future. However, the Russian intervention in Ukraine in February 2022, and the subsequent awarding of candidate status for EU membership for Ukraine and Moldova in June 2022 have highlighted the importance of a clear enlargement strategy and membership perspective for EU crisis management in its near neighbourhood.
Abstract
The European Union’s (EU) enlargement policy has been an integral part of its historical development since the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Several enlargement rounds have ensured that the EU has grown to include a majority of the countries of the European continent. Yet, enlargement has never been a straightforward process and has been characterised by compromises, concessions, and strategic considerations. However, recent developments in Hungary and Poland have questioned the ability of the EU to ensure democratic governance amongst its members, and a lack of progress in the integration of the Western Balkan states also questions the EU’s willingness to enlarge any further at this point in time. Enlargement fatigue has been carrying the day since the big bang enlargement and increases the likelihood of mere ’strategic accession’ in the future. However, the Russian intervention in Ukraine in February 2022, and the subsequent awarding of candidate status for EU membership for Ukraine and Moldova in June 2022 have highlighted the importance of a clear enlargement strategy and membership perspective for EU crisis management in its near neighbourhood.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Table of Contents v
- List of authors ix
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Part I: Contextualising the EU and crises
- 1 Introduction: The EU under strain 1
- 2 Polity attacks and policy failures: The EU polycrisis and integration theory 27
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Part II: The legal and democratic fundaments of the EU
- 3 Crisis-driven EU reforms in and beyond treaty limits: Is it time for a treaty change? 51
- 4 What happened to the idea of ‘Ever Closer Union’? Differentiation as a persistent feature of European integration 77
- 5 The difficulty of upholding the rule of law across the European Union: The case of Poland as an illustration of problems the European Union is facing 95
- 6 Representation in polycrisis: Towards a new research agenda for EU citizens 115
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Part III: The EU in a changing world
- 7 After the deluge: Europe, the European Union and crisis in the world arena 133
- 8 EU enlargement in times of crisis: Strategic enlargement, the conditionality principle and the future of the “Ever-Closer Union” 155
- 9 The EU after Brexit: EU-UK relations and the latent crisis of withdrawal 173
- 10 A strained partnership? A typology of tensions in the EU-US transatlantic relationship 191
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Part IV: European policy fields shaped by crisis
- 11 Consolidating the fortress Europe: Conceptualizations of solidarity in the EU Asylum System governance post-2015 211
- 12 EU Health: From pandemic crisis management to a European Health Union? 233
- 13 Leader or laggard? Diversity and minority rights in a union under strain 253
- 14 The slow-burning climate emergency and the European Green Deal: Prospects and pitfalls in the polycrisis era 275
- 15 European economic governance in times of crisis: Solidarity, responsibility, and legitimacy in EU debt mutualisation 293
- Index 319
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Table of Contents v
- List of authors ix
-
Part I: Contextualising the EU and crises
- 1 Introduction: The EU under strain 1
- 2 Polity attacks and policy failures: The EU polycrisis and integration theory 27
-
Part II: The legal and democratic fundaments of the EU
- 3 Crisis-driven EU reforms in and beyond treaty limits: Is it time for a treaty change? 51
- 4 What happened to the idea of ‘Ever Closer Union’? Differentiation as a persistent feature of European integration 77
- 5 The difficulty of upholding the rule of law across the European Union: The case of Poland as an illustration of problems the European Union is facing 95
- 6 Representation in polycrisis: Towards a new research agenda for EU citizens 115
-
Part III: The EU in a changing world
- 7 After the deluge: Europe, the European Union and crisis in the world arena 133
- 8 EU enlargement in times of crisis: Strategic enlargement, the conditionality principle and the future of the “Ever-Closer Union” 155
- 9 The EU after Brexit: EU-UK relations and the latent crisis of withdrawal 173
- 10 A strained partnership? A typology of tensions in the EU-US transatlantic relationship 191
-
Part IV: European policy fields shaped by crisis
- 11 Consolidating the fortress Europe: Conceptualizations of solidarity in the EU Asylum System governance post-2015 211
- 12 EU Health: From pandemic crisis management to a European Health Union? 233
- 13 Leader or laggard? Diversity and minority rights in a union under strain 253
- 14 The slow-burning climate emergency and the European Green Deal: Prospects and pitfalls in the polycrisis era 275
- 15 European economic governance in times of crisis: Solidarity, responsibility, and legitimacy in EU debt mutualisation 293
- Index 319
