The development of EU enlargement has raised many thorny issues unanticipated by the framers of the EC Treaty. A significant upshot of these issues is that the concept of European identity – defined in terms of such factors as culture, history and economics – has supplanted the long-dominant theme of ‘widening and deepening,’ particularly since the Union’s expansion has become primarily eastward. The major contribution of this important book lies in its analysis of the conceptualization and perception of enlargement from various points of view, focusing on the concerns of stakeholders and the ‘identity’ conflicts and uncertainties incurred by enlargement initiatives. In the course of its presentation, it details the actual pre-accession Europeanization process and its complex history. Among the key elements discussed are the following: the conflict between ‘widening’ and ‘deepening’ and the effect on EU institutional reform; institutional requirements on candidate countries; pre-accession criteria and negotiations; administrative capacity, judicial capacity, and legal approximation in accession states; capacity of the EU to absorb new Member States; and EC law as part of European identity. Also covered are specific historical details of particular pre-accession negotiations (e.g., Greece, Spain, Portugal, Malta, and Cyprus), the still inconclusive negotiations with Turkey and the Western Balkan states, and political factors involved in the non-accession of Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. Assembling powerful evidence and applying incisive analysis, the author’s conclusion shows that, absent further (and major) EU institutional reform, it will be difficult for an enlarging Union to continue to ‘deliver the goods.’ A watershed in the continuing great debate on the fulfilment of the EC Treaty’s determination to foster and promote ‘an ever closer union of the peoples of Europe,’ this book will prove invaluable to anybody interested in the European integration project, particularly lawyers, academics, officials and policymakers in the EU Member States.

The European Union in the World: Essays in Honour of Marc Maresceau provides a unique overview of state-of-the-art academic research in the rapidly developing area of EU external relations law from renowned academics and practitioners. The book is dedicated to the academic career of Marc Maresceau, a world-renowned expert in EU external relations law. For many years, Prof. Maresceau has been a pioneer in EU enlargement and neighbourhood studies. In honour of his inestimable contribution to the field, editors Inge Govaere, Erwan Lannon, Peter Van Elsuwege, and Stanislas Adam have compiled contributions devoted to the following wide range of topics: i) the legal-institutional framework of EU external action ii) the external policies of the EU iii) the EU’s bilateral relations with third countries iv) the enlargement of the European Union v) the European Neighbourhood Policy With a special focus on the post-Lisbon legal framework of EU external action, the book builds further upon the implementation of the reforms initiated by the Lisbon Treaty to offer virtually all-encompassing analysis of EU external relations law by top-level specialists. Academics, scholars and practitioners of EU law will find a seminal new work in The European Union in the World: Essays in Honour of Marc Maresceau.