In May 2004, eight former Eastern Bloc countries joined the European Union: the three Baltic republics, Poland, Hungary, the Czech and Slovak republics, and Slovenia. What is involved in "accession"? How have accession dynamics affected and been affected by the domestic politics of candidate countries and their adoption of EU rules?

In this carefully designed volume of original essays, the editors have brought together a group of scholars with firsthand research experience in the new member-states of Central and Eastern Europe. Framed by opening and concluding chapters by Frank Schimmelfennig and Ulrich Sedelmeier that outline several aspects of preparation for accession, the empirical case studies discuss a variety of topics, including democracy and human rights, the reform of state administrations and economic, social, and environmental policies. This book demonstrates the importance of the credibility and the costs of accession conditionality for the adoption of EU rules in Central and Eastern Europe.

Contributors: Liliana B. Andonova, Colby College; Antoaneta L. Dimitrova, Leiden University; Stefan Engert, Darmstadt University of Technology; Rachel Epstein, University of Denver; Heather Grabbe, Centre for European Reform and Oxford University; Adrienne Heritier, European University Institute; Wade Jacoby, Brigham Young University; Heiko Knobel, Darmstadt University of Technology; Frank Schimmelfennig, Mannheim Center for European Social Research; Guido Schwellnus, Queen's University of Belfast; Ulrich Sedelmeier, Central European University; Beate Sissenich, Indiana University

About the Author

Frank Schimmelfennig is Professor of European Politics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He is the author of The EU, NATO, and the Integration of Europe: Rules and Rhetoric. Ulrich Sedelmeier is is Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Reviews
"Europeanization as a theme has for far too long been bound up with west European experience. This excellent volume opens up the subject as a way of better understanding and theorizing the processes of change in central and eastern Europe."-Helen Wallace, European University Institute
"This terrific book is without question the most theoretically sophisticated and wide-ranging analysis yet of the impact of European Union norms and rules in the candidate countries of Central and Eastern Europe."-Mark A. Pollack, Temple University
"The Europeanization of Central and Eastern Europe deals with an important topic in an interesting and theoretically informed way. It makes a significant contribution to a number of debates and lines of research in international relations, comparative public policy, and European studies."-Ellen Comisso, University of California, San Diego
"The Eastern enlargement of the EU constitutes one of the most significant processes of fundamental and peaceful domestic transformation as well as democratic consolidation in world history. This book demonstrates in detail that the extension of EU membership to Central and Eastern Europe is a process of Europeanization, that is, of fundamental domestic change in response to EU rules and regulations. The volume represents a superb example of theory-guided empirical research and the first one using the framework of Europeanization to study Eastern enlargement. If you want to understand the domestic impact of EU Eastern enlargement, you must read this book!"-Thomas Risse, Freie Universitet Berlin



Book Information
ISBN 9780801489617
Author Frank Schimmelfennig
Format Paperback
Page Count 274
Imprint Cornell University Press
Publisher Cornell University Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 155mm * 16mm