Abstract
"Enlargement and deepening are two wheels of a same carriage, to the pursuit of European integration". (FNSP, 2006) Michel Emerson, researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies, describes these two exclusive events, enlargement and deepening must instead be conducted simultaneously. If the term 'enlargement' is no problem of semantics, it is good to reside on the meaning of the word 'deepening', which means an ever closer integration between members belonging to the Union. This it's often presented as a movement parallel and prior to enlargement. Since 1973, the European Community has continued to widen, increasing from 6 to 9 and then 10 and 12 Member States. These various enlargements have been an opportunity to make peace, economic prosperity and democracy on the continent since the end of the Cold War. In addition, the enlargement of the European Union helped to reinforce the weight latter on in the international role. At the same time, each enlargement seems to be coupled with a deepening. However, these recent years are different. Since its "creation", the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, the European Union, has gone through a large expansion but a very poor deepening. The EU seems to arrive at a stage where it can't continue to expand without being reformed, at the risk of letting its institutions run into failure (Pierre Gerbet, 1999).
From intergovernmental conference to intergovernmental conference, from the Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) to the Treaty of Nice (2000), attempts were made to plug the cracks so that the EU does not take water. What is the route taken by the EU since its creation in 1992? The Union can continue to expand or should it pause in expanding and promoting its deepening? Thus, we will first discus how in recent years, enlargement took over on the deepening; and then we will see why this directed Europe to re-considerate its integration process and to wonder about its borders as also about the institutional form of which the EU wants to develop.
