Analyse the main advantages and disadvantages of European Union enlargement for a) existing members and b) for applicant countries

The EU was created after the Second World War to unite the neighboring countries of Europe. It was established by six European countries in 1951: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Netherlands and West Germany (Briney, 2015). Today it consists of 28 countries united to create an economic and political community (Gov.uk, 2014).

One of the most important merits of joining the EU is that when the smaller nations get together for one economic growth where it gives the growth for both local and global entities. Larger economical trade makes better import and export both local and worldwide.

Since 1950 European Union (EU) was created it has promoted peace, prosperity and values among the member nations and its neighbouring countries. EU’s influential tools, has helped transform many European states into functioning democracies and prosperous countries. EU’s membership has grown from 6 to 28 countries (Enlargement, 2014), satisfying a historic vow to integrate the continent bringing in most states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by peaceful ideals.EU has anticipated the enlargement as an extraordinary opportunity to endorse political strength and economic success in Europe. EU’s extension policy is open to any European state that fulfils the EU’s political and financial criteria for membership; still the political process of inclusion of new state requires a unanimous agreement from all the existing 28 member states. Europe is considered to be more flourishing and safer place due to the promotion of democracy, anti-corruption policy and the single market policy.

The EU was created in the midst of a war in attempts to unite Europe under a common government. After 43 years of rebuilding foreign affairs, have their attempts made a positive impact on the modern Europe? Many argue that the EU takes a toll on country's sovereignty. They lack in allowing countries to be apart of the union, without masking the unique culture and diversity of that country. Despite the advantages of being apart of the EU, the disadvantages highly outweigh them in the areas of economic, independence and cultural identity.

The European Union consists of 28 member states and has a population of 503 million inhabitants, and a total surface area of over 4 million square miles. The EU has its own currency, the Euro, and the largest single market in the world. It is a global community and power and has a huge influence on our world today in many aspects, and has been slowly built up to what it is today through humanistic ideology , common interests, new structures, treaties, economic policy and the attempt of equality throughout.

The European Union was created on the notion of peace and prosperity. But has it really lived up to its promise? Tensions are brewing. Maybe it’s time to leave the EU once and for all. The EU originated after the Second World War, with only a few countries within it, but it has grown over many years and now has twenty-eight different countries. They share a national anthem that binds them through the power of music. The EU now presents more disadvantages than advantages, the countries participating have their cultural diversity being limited, their own countries laws are being superseded by those of the EU, and their economy’s are too dependent on one another.

As part of the EU, the UK is in the single market, this enabling tariff- free trade between members. As you can see, from the table on the right some other countries have their own agreements and this can give an idea of what is to come for the UK.

The EU has become more economically integrated by becoming a common market. This removes barriers to production, like capital and labor.

Starting with the strengths of the core arguments of David Marsh’s book, there is the fact that EU state member’s economies have different environments and don't make progress at the same rate. Culture, education, and politics are influential factors. Being members of the EU means not only to enjoy the benefits but also to share the effort of bailing out economically weaker countries. This

In its historical context discuss why and how the EU was set up and the advantages and disadvantages of membership.

In this essay I will discuss how the EU that we know today come to be, what are is advantages and disadvantages.

Accession of new members from Eastern Europe into the union is possible only through good governance, effective institutions, and quality democracy. Good governance creates effective institutions. These institutions produce quality democracy. Established member states want a democratic sub-continent which will support expansion towards Eastern Europe. Next I evaluate the literature in order to establish whether EU institutions have the real power to impact the quality of democracy in Eastern European and Balkan members in order to support EU expansion.

While early EU history is marked by efforts to abridge political and economic gaps between formal enemies, recent EU enlargement is a one of tensions between established and new member interests and broader interests of the organization itself. In recent decades, the most prominent issue of EU integration is the ongoing discussion in established member states on expansion prospects. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War opened the possibility for immense political and economic transformation for Eastern European states. The result of this transformation brought the unprecedented possibility for many post-communist states to join the EU. This possibility, however, is met with hostility on domestic level in some of the

2. Increase in wages and disposable income from the new members of the EU (Eastern Europe)Jobs and money have flowed into Easter Europe countries since they became part of the EU.

== == = At its summit in Luxembourg in December 1997, the European Commission decided that the enlargement should encompass: · the European Conference, a multilateral framework bringing together ten central European countries, Cyprus and Turkey, launched in 1998 on