On the Verge of the Next EU Enlargement. Accession Legal Framework: Conceptual Overview

Authors

  • Sylwia Katarzyna Mazur Universidade Católica Portuguesa

Abstract

Since the founding days of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European integration model has been designed as an open one. Therefore, the enlargement of the European Union from its six founding members to its current twenty-seven is considered not only a success story for the EU but for Europe as a whole. Enlargement, as a twofold process, requires adequate preparation by the acceding State and the EU’s capacity to integrate the new member. Despite the transformative power of European integration (where even the prospect of membership can trigger significant reforms), the process is governed by the relatively concise Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which has evolved significantly in practice. The purpose of this paper is threefold. Firstly, it will elucidate the evolving character of the accession procedure. Secondly, it will analyse the balancing act between the increasing complexity of the process and the mechanisms of pre-accession assistance combined with flexibility measures. Thirdly, it will explore the role and significance of political will throughout the entire accession process.

Keywords: European Union, enlargement, Copenhagen criteria, Member State, acceding State.

 

DOI: 10.3935/cyelp.20.2024.599

 

Licenca_(2)16.png

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution − Non-Commercial − No Derivatives 4.0 International License.

Suggested citation: SK Mazur, ‘On the Verge of the Next EU Enlargement. Accession Legal Framework: Conceptual Overview’ (2024) 20 CYELP 105.

Cover page, Croatian Yearbook of European Law and Policy, Volume 20, Year 2024

Downloads

Published

2024-12-27

How to Cite

Mazur, S. K. (2024). On the Verge of the Next EU Enlargement. Accession Legal Framework: Conceptual Overview. Croatian Yearbook of European Law and Policy, 20, 105–126. Retrieved from https://www.cyelp.com/index.php/cyelp/article/view/599

Issue

Vol. 20 (2024)

Section

Notes, Comments and Reports

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Sylwia Katarzyna Mazur

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

All manuscripts published in CYELP are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution − Non-Commercial − No Derivatives 4.0 International License. This permits anyone to copy and redistribute their work in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes provided the original work and source are appropriately cited.

For all manuscripts published in CYELP, the copyright remains with the author(s). This means that the author(s) grant the right of first publication to the Yearbook, while retaining the copyright to their manuscripts (accepted for publication or published in CYELP), and may republish these, in full or in part, in other publications, books or materials. However, the following conditions should be met:

- the manuscript is published open access;
- when reusing the manuscript, the original source of publication must be properly acknowledged and referenced;
- the manuscript remains published by CYELP on its website;
- the manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution − Non Commercial − No Derivatives 4.0 International License.