The willingness and tiredness of enlarging the EU of the EU27

Table of Contents

List of abbreviations

1. Preface

2. A short view at the history of the EU

3. Enlargement and neighbourhood policy of the EU
3.1 Declaration of the ENP
3.2 Membership conditions

4. Candidate and potential candidate countries
4.1 Candidate countries
4.1.1 Turkey
4.1.1.1 Political profile
4.1.1.2 Economic profile
4.1.1.3 EU Relations
4.1.2 Croatia
4.1.2.1 Political profile
4.1.2.2 Economic profile
4.1.2.3 EU Relations
4.1.3 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
4.1.3.1 Political profile
4.1.3.2 Economic profile
4.1.3.3 EU Relations
4.2 Potential candidate countries
4.2.1 Albania
4.2.2 Bosnia and Herzegovina
4.2.3 Montenegro
4.2.4 Serbia
4.2.5 Kosovo

5. EU Enlargement: Chances and Risks
5.1 Agrarian policy
5.2 Risks for the labour market?
5.3 Economic perspectives
5.3.1 Chances through enlargment
5.3.2 Difiances through enlargement
5.3.3 Balance of two years EU East Enlagent – for EU Commission purposes

6. Integration process
6.1 Deepening versus enlargement?
6.1.1 First deepen in order to enlarge
6.1.2 First enlarge in order to deepen
6.1.3 Simultaneous deepen and enlarge

7. Controversial EU enlargment
7.1 EU enlargement and its opponents
7.2 EU enlargement and its proponents

8. Conclusion

9. List of literature

List of abbreviations

illustration not visible in this excerpt

1. Preface

One of the main objetives is achieved by the European Union: the stable and peacful integration of Europe. In may 2004 more countries joined the EU then in the previous three enlargments between 1973 and 1995 totalled. Based on that “big bang”- enlargement the rating enhanced in Brussels and the national capitol cities, that the EU alienate its population at least with the clerity of expansion. In 2007 Rumania and Bulgaria also joined the EU and the question of overexpanding the Union is still not answered. There are three more candidates (Turkey, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia) and 5 more potenital candidates (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo) which are willing to enter the EU as soon as possible. After the second east enlargement the door to the EU is locked initially and the future of the EU is unsure. Since the miscarry of the EU Constitution the intake capacity is focused in many political discussions. The IEP (Institute for European Politics) released that those debates tranquilized but the opinions of the specific countries differ enormously. Primarily France, Luxembourg and Austria startred the discussion two years ago. The EU enlargment is a current topic and should not be undervalued.

The European Union itself is willing to stay a strong competitor on the world market, which is easier to achieve via expanding and growing. The main problem here is that critics now do not see that the “main” objectives of the EU can be fulfilled when the Union grows that fast.

This term-paper gives an overview about the current sitation and discussions as well as it shows the risks and chances of a further EU enlargement.

2. A short view at the history of the EU

On the 9th of May 1950 the idea of what today is the Euroopean Union was born by the proposal of Robert Schuman on the creation of an organized Europe, indisponsable to the maintnance of peaceful relations. Nowadays the 9th of May has become a European symbol (Europe Day) which, along with the flag, the anthem, the motto and the single currency (the Euro), identifies the political entity of the European Union.

The following subsections are giving a short summarization over the major historic steps of the European Union¹:

- In 1951 the European Coal and Steel Community is established by the six founding members, Belgia, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
- In 1957 the Treaty of Rome establishes a common market which established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) among the members.
- In 1973 the Community expands to nine member statesand develops its common policies (The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark joind the EU)
- In 1979 the first direct elections to the European Parliament took place, who then elected the first female President of the European union.
- 1981: The first Mediterranean enlargement
- 1993: Completion of the single market
- 1993: The Treaty of Maastricht establishes the European Union
- 1995 : The EU expands to 15 members
- 2002: Euro notes and coins are introduced
- 2004: Ten more countries join the Union
- In 2007 two more countries joined the Union which now counts 27 countries.

Another historical significance is the implementation² of the Euro which was declared as objective by the European council in 1988. Today the Euro is used as currency in 13 of the 27 countries³ of the EU (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) as well as three other countires (Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City). This step simpilfies firstly the monetised economy within the European Union and now is a strong currency on the worldmarket and can compete with the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen.

3. Enlargement and Neighbourhood policy of the EU

3.1 Declaration of the ENP

The neighbourhood policy of the EU (ENP) was established in 2004 after the big enlargment, and its main objective is to avoid the emergence of new deviding lines between the enlarged EU and its neighbours and instead strengthening the prosperity, stability and security of all concerned. The ENP offers its neighbours a relationship, based on some criteria (democracy and human rights, rule of law, good governance, market economy principles and sustainable development). This policy applies to the direct neighbours of the European Union (Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Ukraine) except Russia to whom they allready have a strategic partnership.⁴

Political instability and bad governance can effect the European Union too. Simultaneous our wealth and our safeness is amidst the dangers of energy policy, environment risks and the increasing illegal immigration. The EU has to deal with these problems as well as the ENP partners, which they do on conferences of the board of the European Council.⁵

3.1 Membership Conditions

The Membership conditions⁶ of the European Union are subdivided in the three sections.

- (a) The legal requirements
- (b) The “Copenhagen criteria”
- (c) The accession process

(a) The legal requirements are to be found in the Treaty of Rome. According to Article 237 “any European state may apply to become a member of the Community’. The Article F of the Maastricht Treaty adds that the country has to be founded on the principles of democracy.

(b) On the conference board in 1993 in Copenhagen⁷ the European Coucil has done a big step into the future of the EU. They decided that “the associated countries in Central and Eastern Europe that so desire shall become members of the European Union; the so called “Copenhagen Criteria”. Based on those criterias it has to be scrutinized if the candidate country is “ready” to join the European Union. Only if the following criterias can be accomplished by the candidates a “club-entry” is possible:

- stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;
- a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union;
- the ability to take on the obligations of membership, including support for the aims of the Union. They must have a public administration capable of applying and managing EU laws in practice.

The EU already has discussed the question of its own upgradeability in 1993 and declared as additional aspect⁸: The preservation of dynamic and the inernal ability of reforms. The document “Report of the policy paper 2005 of the Eurpean

Commission of Enlargement⁹ ” was handed in by Elmar Brok in 2006 and shows that the European Union clearly steers in “direction enlargement”.

(c) The accession process¹⁰ is a negotiation between the European Commission as representative of the European Union and the individual candidate country. Once a candidate country applies to the EU the decission must be taken unanimously by the existing member states meeting in the Council. Then an assentthrough positive vote by an absolute majority of its members must be given by the European Parlaiment. During the accession process the potential candidate country is given an aid by the EU. For example during the EU East Enlargement in 2004 €42¹¹ billion were given to the 10 candidate countries in order to help those countries to fulfil the obligations of a membership given by the EU.

4. Candidate and potential candidate countries

Croatia and Turkey are oficial candidate countries; they started accession negotiations on 3 October 2005 and since december 2005 the Ruplic of Macedonia got the status of a candidate country too; accession negotiations have not started yet. All other Western Balkan countries are potential candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia including Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244. The EU has repeatedly reaffirmed at the highest level its commitment for eventual EU membership of the Western Balkan countries, provided they fulfill the accession criteria. The next subsections are giving a closer examination of the three candidate countries and a short view at the five candiate countries.

4.1 Candidate countries

4.1.1 Turkey

4.1.1.1 Political profile

Turkey is a Parliamentary Republic. Its Constitution was adopted in 1982. The parliamentary system is unicameral, with the 550 members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) facing election every five years. The head of state is the President. He is elected by a two third majority in the Turkish Grand National Assembly for a seven year term. The current President is Ahmet Necdet Sezer elected in 2000¹².

Turkey continues to sufficiently fulfil the Copenhagen political criteria and has continued political reforms. However the pace has slowed during the past year. Significant further efforts are needed in particular on freedom of expression. Further improvements are also needed on the rights of non-Muslim religious communities, women's rights, trade union rights and on civilian control of the military. Turkey still has a lot of work to do, but if they are strict and willing to fulfil those Copenhagen critierias they might enter the EU in 2015¹³.

4.1.1.2 Economic profile

In 2005 the EU acceptet Turkey as functioning market economy although they have huge microeconomic shortfalls. The inflation decreased heavily, from 65% in 1999 to single digit rates in 2005. Turkey has also enjoyed healthy growth rates, with Growth Domestic Products (GDP) climbing to 9% in 2004 and 7.4% in 2005, followed by estimated growth of 5% in 2006. This is due particularly to the economic policies pursued after the economic crisis of 2001. In the laast years the unemployment rate remains stable at around 10.3%, but there is a low female labour force participation rate (26.5% in August 2006). Political influence on state banks has declined and important markets, such as electricity, telecommunication, sugar, tobacco and petroleum, have been liberalised. Turkey is still undergoing a transition from an agriculture based economy to a service oriented economy, although the share of employment in agriculture is still high.

4.1.1.3 EU relations

The project of integrating Turkey into the European Union has a long history. In 1959 Turkey applied to the EC (European Community), and after a long bumpy way and after a couple of lowerings of quotas and customs by stages the customs union between Europe and Turkey was established. From that time trading increased strongly and Turkey ranked number 7 of all EU tradng partners. Today Turkey gains a payment of €497 Mio. which ought to help Turkey to achieve the critirias to join the EU.¹⁴

4.1.2 Republic of Croatia

4.1.2.1 Political profile

Croatia is a Presidential, multi-party parliamentary democracy. The main criterias to join the Union are such issues as the reform of the judiciary and the fight against organised crime and corruption, public administration reform, minority rights, refugee return, the conduct of war crimes trials, sustaining full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and continued engagement in regional cooperation including the need to solve outstanding bilateral issues with its neighbours. Almost 12 years after the War (1991-1995) Croatia is a stable democracy and the republic shows well procedings in fulfiling the criterias; its main problem is still its law system and coruption.

4.1.2.2 Economic profile

Croatia has a population of 4.4 million and a GDP at current prices of some EUR

30.9 billion in 2005 in its small economy. The GDP per capita is in the order of EUR 6,972. Croatia’s is an open economy whose main trading partners are traditionally in the EU. The EU accounts for more than half of both exports and imports, with Italy, Germany and Austria being the most prominent partners. In 2004, the EU was by far

[...]

¹ see “10 Historische Schritte”,http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_2/index_de.htm, as at 2007

² see “Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion (WWU)”, by the ECB, http://www.ecb.eu/ecb/history/emu/html/index.de.html , as at 2007

³ see “Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion (WWU)”, by the ECB,http://www.ecb.eu/ecb/history/emu/html/index.de.html, as at 2007

⁴ see “The European Neighbour Policy”, by the European Commission,http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/policy_de.htm, as at 27.08.2007

⁵ see http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/de/Europa/Aussenpolitik/Regionalabkommen/ Nachbarschaftspolitik-ERJuni07.pdf, by the European Council, as at 18/19.06.2007

⁶ see “Erweiterungs- und Nachbarschaftspolitik”,http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_3/index_de.htm, as at 27.08.2007

⁷ see „EU-Osterweiterung“ author: Martin Große Hüttmann, Matthias Chardon, Siegfried Frech p. 23/24, „Kopenhagen Kriterien für die Aufnahme in den Club“, published at „Wochenschau Verlag“, as at 2005

⁸ see Information zur politischen Bildung 279, “Europäische Union”, p. 49, „Kriterien und Ablauf des Beitrittsverfahrens“, as at reprint 2006

⁹ see “Bericht über das Strategiepapier 2005 der Kommission zu Erweiterung“, Berichterstatter: Elmar Brok, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do;jsessionid=17AA77157DB94C6ED2CB8CA3C924586 C.node2?language=DE&pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+REPORT+A6-2006-0025+0+DOC+PDF+V0//DE, as at 30.01.2006

¹⁰ see “Erweiterungs- und Nachbarschaftspolitik”,http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_3/index_de.htm, as at 27.08.2007

¹¹ see „ Erweiterungs- und Nachbarschaftspolitik “,http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_3/index_de.htm, as at 27.08.2007

¹² see „Politisches Profil - Türkei“,http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/turkey/political_profile_de.htm, as at 27.08.2007

¹³ see „In den Schlagzeilen: Die Europäische Union“, by Simon Ponsfort, p. 45, as at 2007

¹⁴ see „Beziehungen EU-Türkei“, http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/turkey/eu_turkey_relations_de.htm, as at 27.08.2007