Reconsidering the EU enlargement process. Assurance of due process, credibility of prospects, efficiency of outcome

Абстракт

The paper describes the problems of the upcoming enlargement of the European Union. For some countries, negotiations have been going on for a long time, for others they have not yet started. It is expected that in the specific case of Ukraine, negotiations and accession may be accelerated. The documents states that the accession of each candidate should take place after a regular process of preparation and negotiation has been carried out. Otherwise, there may not be enough trust to complete the process successfully. The credibility of enlargement in the eyes of European public opinion depends on the preparation of the candidates. In the eyes of the public in candidate countries, the accession process can be credible when there are clear assurances about future membership. Therefore, accession should not be understood as a one-off event, but rather as a process that starts before the official date of entry into force and even ends well after that date. However, it should go hand in hand with the extension of the benefits of membership to candidate countries early in the process and be linked to the progress of their preparations before the official enlargement date.