Perspective on the Eastern Enlargement: Triumph of the EU or Seed of Its Destruction?

Petersson looks back at the great Eastern enlargement of the European Union in 2004. At the time, it was seen as a huge gain for Western liberalism and democracy, even if certain problems were anticipated, primarily in connection with labour markets and social safety nets. Since then, enlargement has led to tensions within the Union of a kind that few had predicted. A serious challenge is mounted to the interpretation of the Copenhagen criteria regarding democracy, human rights and the rule of law. This is badly undermining trust and confidence in the Union. In Petersson’s view, the EU needs a unifying vision, even a common identity, to address this challenge and give the member states and their populations the motivation to keep moving forward together.