The future of EU enlargement

The enlargement process has, historically and in successive Treaties, been understood as an integral part of the European Union's development. 40 years after the first enlargement, which brought the UK, Ireland and Denmark into the then European Community, the EU is about to accept its 28th Member State, Croatia. With eight further countries either already candidates or potential candidates, the EU's enlargement agenda shows no sign of halting. Yet further enlargement will not be easy, either for the Union or for the candidate countries. This report considers the process by which aspirant countries, that is, the EU's candidate and potential candidate countries' progress towards readiness for membership.