The domestic and internationale politics of the next Mediterranean enlargement of the European Union

Until October 1996 it seemed undeniable that the two Mediterranean island States of Cyprus and Malta were ahead of the field of twelve aspirants in the EU membership race. Turkey was exerting all its diplomatic efforts to keep up with them, though the widely held view was that her membership chances were negligible. Enlargement of the EU to include Cyprus and Malta posed no economic problems for the Union (however, neither did it promise many advantages). Both applicants, being micro-states, would be easy to absorb, especially since both had buoyant economies.peer-reviewe