210134 SE M9b SpezialisierungsSE: Challenges of the EU´s Eastern enlargement (engl.) (2013S)

This course focuses extensively on various aspects of the relationship between the Central and East European countries and the European Union.

The course is divided in two main parts. The first part examines the political, economic and social changes that the EU accession process and EU membership brought about in Central and Eastern European countries. In specific, we explore topics such as the declining power of conditionality, the rise of Euroskepticism, EU support for regional development, etc.

The second part of the course explores whether and how Eastern Enlargement has transformed the European Union. Some of the questions posed in this part are: Do we see an enduring East-West divide in terms of coalition formations or are the positions of new member states absorbed along the lines of existing cleavages? Has Eastern enlargement led to slowdown or even deadlock in decision-making as originally anticipated? What are the consequences of shifting the EU's external borders?