ABSTRACT
Changes that have transformed Europe since 1989—the democratic revolutions in central and eastern Europe, the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the radical arms reduction agreements, and the break-up of the Soviet Union—have presented the European Community (EC) with multiple opportunities and challenges. One of the most dramatic challenges has been the growing queue of potential applicants for membership in the EC. Formal applicants (Austria, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Turkey, Malta and Cyprus) have been joined by an increasingly eclectic group of aspirants. Norway, a colleague of Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and Finland in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), is considering filing a membership application later this year. Poland, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic have concluded unprecedented “Europe agreements” with the EC, and they have expressed their unequivocal desire to become full members. Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and various members of the Commonwealth of Independent States may soon seek membership as well. This new pressure to “widen” EC membership comes as the EC is moving to “deepen” its own economic and political integration. The 128rapid transformation of the European continent is compelling the EC to take on both tasks simultaneously.
The questions surrounding the enlargement issue—whether the EC will expand its membership, and if so when and according to what organizing principle—remain open. Although the association accords with the three central European states have received considerable press attention, many believe the most likely new entrants to be the highly developed Austria, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland. This paper reviews the prospects for EC enlargement, addresses the challenges enlargement would pose for the EC and, finally, considers the economic and political implications of enlargement for the United States.
