European Union enlargement: a comparative history

European Union Enlargement provides a comparative analysis of the post-war European policies of those states that joined the European Union between 1973 and 1995. The volume draws upon new empirical research in order to investigate the policies that these 'newcomer' states have had towards Europe since 1945, with an emphasis on their experience of membership and its possible Europeanising effect. A final comparative chapter draws the national European policies of the 'newcomers' together and outlines what they have brought to the EU. The book also tests integration theories against the available evidence, demonstrating their limited explanatory value and the economic, political and cultural specificity of different national paths towards EU integration. This book includes in-depth studies focusing on the European policies of the UK, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland and Sweden. It will interest students and researchers of the European Union as well as those concerned with European politics and contemporary history in general.