Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/72764
Title: Europe's new borders : the impact of EU enlargement
Authors: Bonello, Claude (2003)
Keywords: European Union
European Commission
Globalization
Regionalism
Issue Date: 2003
Citation: Bonello, C. (2003). Europe's new borders : the impact of EU enlargement (Master’s dissertation).
Abstract: Since the end of the Cold war, European affairs have been dominated by issues of inclusion and exclusion. The ongoing process of EU enlargement, that will include countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well Cyprus and Malta, is one of the most important issues on the international agenda. Indeed the current enlargement process is unique because the EU shall be talcing in the largest number of new Member States since its establishment in 1957. The European Commission in Brussels has stated that an enlarged EU will bring increased security, stability and prosperity to Europe. However, the next enlargement also presents many challenges if the Union wants to maintain its coherence and effectiveness as a regional and global actor. Much attention has been dedicated to the enlargement process per se, but relatively little thought has been given to the aftermath of enlargement. The enlarged Union implies extending its new borders to the East and South; hence the EU will be in direct contact with new neighbours (namely Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova), and it will be more embedded in the Mediterranean region, with the accession of Cyprus, Malta and, eventually, Turkey. The aim of this dissertation is thus to analyse the challenges of Europe once enlargement comes to an end in May 2004. It is high time that questions such as 'What happens next?' are put forward and seriously tackled if the EU wants to find new approaches and solutions. Extended borders will also bring along upsurging threats, especially in the field of soft security (illegal immigration, organised crime and illegal trafficking). The reason behind my choice to focus on the implications of enlargement vis-a-vis the new borders is due to the fact that Malta is a candidate country, hence a future Member State of the EU. The issue of enlargement has been a hot issue that has greatly influenced the political life on the island, especially over the past year. Being a small island, Malta is very vulnerable to security threats especially in the Mediterranean region. Consequently, any challenges that the EU will have to face in the near future will be the same ones that Malta, together with all the other Member States, will have to confront. Any policies adopted by the Union will thus inevitably influence Malta's foreign policy in the future. The main endeavour therefore is to think in post-enlargement terms and to provide a realistic analysis of the challenges beyond the borders of the enlarged Union, in order to avoid the risk of undermining the EU. Whilst arguing that the EU shall have to support domestic reforms in the neighbouring states on a bilateral basis, this dissertation also outlines the great need to establish a regional approach m order to deal with the common security challenges on both sides of the borders. It is only through regional cooperation with its direct neighbourhood that security, stability and prosperity can be safeguarded in Europe and beyond the borders of the enlarged Union.
Description: M.A.DIPLOMATIC STUD.
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/72764
Appears in Collections:Dissertations - InsMADS - 1994-2015

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