L'Europe centrale et les Unions européennes : la double différenciation

Abstract

Central Europe and European Unions : The double differentiation. The commitment to enlarge the EU by taking in a second group of 15 member- states from central, eastern and southern Europe is sometimes far ahead of its actual, rapid and widespread implementation at this turn of a new century. True, everything seems to fit into the agreed-upon calendar. And most political leaders present this doubling of the number of member-states as something to be taken for granted - to the point that any doubts about the feasibility of such a tremendous geopolitical transformation on the continent seem unwarranted. But some factors call for caution : the real economic and (especially) political situation in certain applicant countries ; and the serious questions that such changes raise about the nature and operation of the EU itself. We should not make a mistake about the sources of quite real difficulties. In each case, we must identify the options that depend on the EU and the variables that depend on the states applying for membership. Sorting out the various factors is a prerequisite for analyzing the system of complex interaction that the Europe for tomorrow already forms today.