“Enlargement of the European Union: The Democratic Dimension”

Harris, Geoff. (1999) “Enlargement of the European Union: The Democratic Dimension” . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 1999 (6th), June 2-5, 1999, pages 24, Pittsburgh, PA.

Abstract

As Europeans prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, it is an appropriate moment to check on whether the high hopes for peace and democracy which this event created are being satisfied. In 1999 the essential ambivalence and uncertainty which have come to characterise the process of European integration have been all too apparent. It is perhaps this contract between achievements and crises, ambitious projects and internal anxieties which confirms the obvious historical fact that the European Union remains a young political structure, constantly evolving but with insufficient history to provide a sense of stability in times of crisis.