This optional course examines the dynamics of EU enlargement and the process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Drawing on experiences of recent enlargements, it analyses why and how the EU enlarges as well as the reasons behind applications for membership from non-member states. The course explores how the dynamics of enlargement have changed over time, notably since the 2004 enlargement, paying particular attention to the EU’s approach to the membership aspirations of current candidates and applicants (e.g. Turkey, Montenegro, Ukraine) and other would-be members from the Western Balkans and the wider Europe. It assesses the prospects for the accession of these countries as well as for the future of enlargement more generally. It also considers how states can withdraw from the EU, the practices and principles that have been established in the context of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, how the ‘Brexit’ process unfolded and how the UK’s departure from the EU might impact on enlargement.
Professor: David PHINNEMORE