Europe and its enlargements: enough… or do we want more?

Croatia’s membership of the European Union (EU) and Latvia’s imminent membership of the euro zone, which have added a little fresh vigour to the European debate on “enlargement”, provide us with an opportunity to issue a few civic, diplomatic and political reminders.

This is the objective of this Viewpoint co-signed by Sami Andoura and Yves Bertoncini, and which is based on three main statements :

• “Enlargements” confirm that “Europe” continues to wield a power of attraction despite the crisis
• Enlargement policy is one of the main tools of the EU’s foreign policy
• The EU’s enlargement strategy requires
  rekeying in several area

The authors underline that it is on these political bases that the European authorities will be able the more easily to manage the internal and external dynamics in the enlargement sphere both in terms of the EU and of the euro zone.