The continuous enlargement of the European Union (EU) has been one of its greatest achievements and judging by the increasing number of EU member countries, one of its most successful policies. This primer considers the economic side of enlargement for the ‘new' EU members, and provides data...

The European Union (EU) has a splendid record concerning enlargement. Judging by the number of EU member countries, enlargement has been the most successful EU policy ever. The economic side of its eastern enlargement is a hybrid bag of effects for the EU's eastern countries. Membership in the...

The objective of this article is to contribute to the ongoing discussion about the potential enlargement of the European Union (EU) 1. Ten countries with economies in transition, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia (the 'Luxembourg group'), Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania,...

The issue of Turkish aspirations for full membership in the EU is a highly polarising, sensitive and controversial matter both politically and economically. An obvious peril for Turkey is regarding EU membership as a panacea for all its domestic ills. One has to recall, on the one hand, that...

The Treaty of Nice (2001) strongly protects the interests of the 'old' 15 EU member countries. The new voting structure in the enlarged EU preserves the existing members' blocking influence over new policies. In addition, there is a cap on the Union's total expenditure. It is on these terms that...

The Government of Serbia repeatedly declares its priority of joining of the European Union (EU), advancing a silly and politically suicidal declaration that there is no plan B for Serbia. But enlargement is not part of the EU’s real agenda, in spite of its meaningless and politically empty...