WEEK 11: Enlargement and Brexit: Past and Future

Question 1

What is Deepening?

Answer 1

Greater econ and political integration to become more like one unit before accepting new members

Question 2

What is Widening?

Answer 2

Allow candidates countries in first and then undertake reforms (Expanding the reaches of the EU)

Question 3

What are the critiques for those supporting widening or deepening?

Answer 3

Widening:
- Meetings for reforms become harder if more member states come in. Meaning process of integration becomes slower

Deepening:
- The higher the bar set by those within the EU, the harder it becomes for other countries to join.

Question 4

What is the reality behind the EU’s use of widening and deepening?

Answer 4

Attempting to do both simultaneously.

Not symmetrical growth (Widening easier than deepening)

Question 5

What member states are supportive of the deepening initiative?

Answer 5

• France, Benelux,Spain and Portugal

France is inconsistent with this view i.e Macron blocking membership talks with Albania

Question 6

What member states are supportive of the Widening Initiative?

Answer 6

Britain being one of the strongest advocates

• Due to deeply rooted euro scepticism in the country
• Strong view towards Intergovernmentalism
• Blair one of most important actors in EU enlargement

Question 7

What member states are of two minds regarding the Widening V Deepening debate?

Answer 7

Ger,Italy, Greece:

Pro-widening but also to deepen the EU

Question 8

What has occurred in recent times over the widening V deepening debate?

Answer 8

• Enlargement Fatigue

- Enlargement slow and ad-hoc

Question 9

What is the Copenhagen Criteria?

Answer 9

Adopted in 1993.

Aims to put a set of criteria of candidate countries if they want to join the EU

Question 10

What are the criteria?

Answer 10

1. Stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;
2. A functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competition and market forces in the EU
   (NO STATE AID TO COMPANIES)
3. The ability to take on and implement effectively the obligations of membership, including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union

Question 11

What are the additional criteria set for the Western Balkans?

Answer 11

• Regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations (part of the Stabilisation and Association process)

Done by stabilisation packages (Money) for cross border projects.

E.G. Bike path from Greece,Albania to Croatia

Question 12

What did the EU do in the 2008 financial crisis since bailing out banks is against criteria 2?

Answer 12

Ad-hoc measure to allow states to bail out banks and nationalise them under certain market criteria:

1. Sell banks assets to cover the outstanding debt
2. When the banks were safe, they had be privatised again

Each situation done on a case by case process by the comission

Question 13

What is an example of a state that did not join until later due to it not doing one of the criteria?

Answer 13

Bulgaria

• Had to join in 2007 instead of 2004 due to over-reliance on Russia
• Over-reliance via giving nuclear waste to them as they could not dispose of it themselves

Question 14

What is the impact of Enlargement?

Answer 14

Institutions: Successive treaty changes led to the reforms to the institutions and decision making procedure

• Labour market:
  Opening of markets,free movement etc.

Question 15

What are the benefits of Enlargement?

Answer 15

Prosperity:
Asymmetrical due to Brain drain and subsequent brain gain to older more economically well off member states

Security and Stability:
Despite hiccups like Orban (without EU intervention he would be similar to Erdogan)

Democracy

Question 16

What are the implications of enlargement for candidate countries?

Answer 16

For candidate countries the EU regarded as guaranteeing:

• Econ prosperity
• Democratic Stability

But,
the reforms are a hard pill to swallow:
- Economic reform may have important implications for economies that are, as a general rule, much poorer that previous candidates (Leading to companies unable to compete without support, politicians out etc.)

-Greater need for adjustment as result of growth in the acquis communautaire

Question 17

What is the acquis communautaire?

Answer 17

Set of articles that a candidate must complete before being considered for membership.

As of right now, Turkey has only complete 1 in its 15+ years of negotiations as a candidate

Question 18

What is the general information behind the 2004 enlargement?

Answer 18

• 1st May 2004, after 15 years of reforms, 10 new countries joined
  Starting with:
  Poland,Hungary

Later:
Czech,Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania,Latvia,Slovenia,Cyprus (which vetoes Turkey due its occupation of N.Cyprus),Malta

Most recently:
Bulgaria (2007), Romania, Croatia (2013)

Question 19

What is the added value to the 2004 big bang in enlargement?

Part 1

Answer 19

Extended the zone of peace, stability and prosperity and set stable democracies in Europe

75 million new potential consumers and producers in rapidly growing economies

Growth rates at least twice as high (2005 Growth rate of the EU15 = 2,1 vs. 4,6 for the new MS)

Positive trade balance for EU 15 = jobs maintained or created

Level playing field for economic operators extended – increased synergies

Question 20

What is the added value to the 2004 big bang in enlargement?

Part 2

Answer 20

Same EU rules and standards across the 25/28 countries

Goods, services, capital and people circulate freely (transitional periods on the free movement of workers)

Improved environment and food safety as new members have adopted EU environment and food safety policies

Stronger voice of the EU in international affairs

Question 21

Why did the UK experience the influx of Polish people after it joined in 2004?

Answer 21

Tony Blair asked the EU for an exception on the transitional period of movement as he believed it would cover gaps in the labour market

Else, Polish people would have only been allowed to move in 2013

Question 22

How much did the EU enlargement cost?

Answer 22

A cup of coffee a month is The price that each citizen of the old member states has paid for helping to reunite Europe

Question 23

Was there a flood of migration following the EU enlargement?

Answer 23

Labour migration was limited (restrictions for free movement of citizens from NMS).
Positive economic impact where labour markets opened.

Question 24

Would the new members apply lower social standards for their workforce? Is there a risk that firms in the existing EU will relocate to the new members to take advantage of lower wages and costs?

Answer 24

Not enough integration in these areas. Companies are free to move

Question 25

How far can the EU expand?

Answer 25

Enlargement fatigue among European citizens (and policymakers?). New Commission said that there won’t be any further enlargement in the next 5 years

Question 26

Was the enlargement of 2004 necessary?

Answer 26

Helped stabilise the region where states were accepted

Question 27

Is the EU an anchor of democracy for other countries?

Answer 27

Yes, levels of democracy rising

Not symmetrical however

Question 28

What is the European Neighbourhood Policy?

Answer 28

-Consequence of enlargement
New borders with new neighbours
- Try to create a ‘ring’ of friends to guarantee democracy and stability

To tie those countries to the east and south of the European territory of the EU to the Union

Question 29

What were the Brexit results?

Answer 29

51.9% Leave 48.1 Remain

Question 30

What were the reasons for Brexit?

Answer 30

Continuous anti-EU rhetoric from British media

British politicians never fully embraced EU project

Migration fears; asymmetrical benefits from integration for British people

Failure of the EU institutions and pro-EU campaign to demonstrate the positive results of integration

Question 31

Who created Article 50?

Answer 31

The British