The European Union & Enlargement: Benefits, Advantages, and Disadvantages.

The first 200 words of this essay...

The European Union & Enlargement:

Benefits, Advantages, and Disadvantages

DJM2

Daniel Mason

Jeffrey Prevost

Merwyn D'Cruz

Michelle Hahn

Abstract

This paper will describe the European Union and its origins, define enlargement, and name the EU member countries and the prospects of EU membership. It will also discuss the benefits of joining the European Union and the advantages that enlargement will have on the EU as a whole, and drawbacks to countries not joining the EU and disadvantages of non-enlargement.

Introduction

The idea of a European Union was conceived after World War II as a way to prevent such destruction from ever happening again and to maintain peace within Europe. The European Union is an economic and political union that was established in 1993 to promote economic social progress, to implement a common foreign and security policy, to strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of the member states through citizenship in the Union, and to develop close cooperation on justice and home affairs (The European Union and Cyprus). The EU has created a union of people that share common institutions and policies that have brought peace and prosperity (The European