Towards the completion of Europe. Analysis and perspectives of the new European Union enlargement.

This volume aims to contribute to the analysis of the EU in general and the background and consequences of its 2004 enlargement in particular. This enlargement is by far one of the greatest tests for the European Union and its institutions because the process of Europeanization is taking place in a variety of countries with diverse political cultures and dissimilar perceptions about the meaning and commitment to European integration. Given their differences in political and economic power, incumbent and new members are inevitably altering the functioning and character of the EU, a unique polity in the international system. Derived from this theoretical challenge, the chapters of this book suggest some explanations on six areas related to the 2004 enlargement: analytical approaches, citizens and identities, debates and regional transformations, external impacts, and the potential Turkey’s membership. The articles included in this publication are the result of the academic initiative of the Miami European Union Center, partnership formed by the University of Miami and Florida International University since 2000, which was also selected by the European Commission as one of the ten European Union Centers of Excellence in the United States for the period 2005|2008