Telosaes.it

September 2013, Year V, n. 9

Paul Vandoren

EU Enlargement: against all odds.

Telos: Privatisations, rule of law, bilateral relations: these are only few examples of the issues you dealt with, as Head of the Delegation of the EU to Croatia, during the negotiations ultimately leading to the latter’s accession as 28^th Member State. It would be interesting if you could take stock of this experience, outlining the successes and criticalities of the negotiations.

Ambassador Vandoren: The accession negotiations were a highly complex and extremely demanding process for both the EU and Croatia. The Croatian institutions have undergone a thoroughgoing reform, whilst 140,000 pages of acquis communautaire have been incorporated in the Croatian legal framework. The commitment and determination of both sides brought this process of 10 years to a successful conclusion ... more

Editorial

For many years the Eastern enlargement of the European Union was not the topic of a hot public debate. It emerged from the shadows almost abruptly while the EU was changing its skin and shifting its focus from the Rhine to the Vistula and the Carpathian mountains. Then, as often happens, the fierce debate subsided as quickly as it had begun and public opinion focused on the economic crisis ... more