A Question of Consistency: An Analysis of Shifting EU Accession Criteria from the First through the Fifth Enlargements (Research Brief)

Criteria for membership into the European Economic Community and the European Union changed for all five enlargements. This study examines how and why these changes occurred and who determined the changes. For Croatia, the criteria are more stringent than those applied to other candidates in the most recent enlargement. My research in Croatia analyzes the changing philosophy of enlargement, the criteria, and EU assessment of Croatian benchmarks toward accession.

Download the pdf at the top of this page for the full brief.

John E. Ashbrook, of Sweet Briar College, was a 2009-10 Short-Term Travel Grants (STG) fellow.