Abstract
In the light of the massive 2004 European Union (EU) enlargement and the current one of Bulgaria and Romania, the question of whether the EU is reaching the limits of its enlargement shows all its relevance. In fact, since the moment the European integration process was launched, it has welcomed 21 new members in five different waves. The 2004 enlargement eastwards challenged significantly the nature of the enlargement process, by re-balancing the backbone of the European Community (EC) – the Franco-German axis – toward a stronger German position. The official recognition of Turkey as a candidate to the accession at the European Council of Helsinki in 1999 also set the nature of the enlargement at the top the EU agenda, as well as reviving the debate about the European identity. The EU enlargement process is ongoing, in time and space. Does a limit exist to the EU enlargement? How many countries will the EU be capable of “absorbing”? On which accurate criterion can an applicant to membership (or candidacy) be rejected? Should the EU be deepened before being widened?All these questions are quite debated today.
