EU Structural Policy and the Implications of Enlargement

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: 1,0 (A), Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Centre for Europe Studies), course: EU Enlargement in the context of political and economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe, language: English, abstract: After the successful and Eu(ro)phoric introduction of Europe's new currency - the new symbol of the Europe's unity - emotions, especially among the Brussels technocrats, cooled down rapidly. The negotiations with the Candidate Countries entered in a new stage. Latest since the Council Meeting in Laeken the enlargement of the EU is conducted in an increasingly rational manner1. In February 2002 rumours indicated the difficulties, which the European Union faces after the enlargement. A prominent objective of the EU is the regional cohesion, the relative regional equality, thus can hardly be accomplished in its today's structure after the accession of up to 12 countries. The reform of the EU Agricultural and Structural Policy is inevitably today. It will need much more efforts to do so after the enlargement of the European Union. However, the agenda for enlargement is set by the political elites, not by EU bureaucracy. Thus, the negotiations may be used for a certain kind of political blackmailing within the Community. Yet, the enlargement must not fail by financial disruption, since this could easily result in dissolution of all of the European experiment2. The EU Structural Policy has been so far a more or less efficient tool to bridge the unequally distribution of wealth in the Community. It thus provided for a sustainable development and a well-balanced social climate among the Member States and its Regions. Accordingly, aim of this paper shall be first to define the term of cohesion and identify means of structural policy. The EU generated a variety of tools to accomplish its objectives in regard of 'raising of the standard of living and quality of life, and economic and social cohesion' 3. Accordingly, the second part of the paper shall be devoted to describe in a limited scope the actual mechanisms of EU Structural Policy. Finally, the approaching enlargement of the Community will provoke further inconveniences concerning the Agricultural and Structural Policy. Hence, the predictable implications of the enlargement will be discussed in the last part of this paper. [...]