The candidate countries and institutional reform of the European Union

Abstract

The twelve candidate countries that are currently negotiating the membership in the European Union do not differ among themselves substantially in their aspirations. The EU constitutes a zone of prosperity, stability and security in Europe and to belong there is for each of them a vital interest of high priority. Despite the fact that most of them once had been under the communist repression, they have always belonged to Europe, to its civilization and history. They share values on which the cornerstones of the EU are laid and consider the integration process on the old continent as an antithesis to its past unnatural division. The need to reform the institutions of the Union in order to prepare them for the accession of new members had been acknowledged for a long time. But it was not until the European Council meeting in Nice in December 2000 when the Intergovernmental Conference2 (IGC) was concluded and a new treaty3 came into being introducing the necessary and anxiously awaited basic institutional changes. The objective of this research paper is to analyze the Intergovernmental Conference 2000 in the context of the preceding development, some aspects of the new treaty, the ratification process and the post-Nice period from the point of view of the Candidate Countries. Special attention will be given to the following questions: How did the Candidate Countries participate in the IGC? What were the positions of the Candidate Countries on the IGC agenda issues? Were these positions homogenous? What impact have the decisions adopted in Nice on the Candidate Countries and how do the Candidate Countries address the post-Nice debate on the future of the European Union?