United in Autonomy? The Question of EU Internal Enlargement

Paper presented at the UNPO & EFA Conference 'The Right to Decide in the 21st Century: Scotland, Catalonia and Beyond.' 2014

5 Pages Posted: 9 Nov 2014

Date Written: September 26, 2014

Abstract

Before setting out some observations on the topic which was assigned to me, I would like to start with a general disclaimer: the problem which we are discussing today is, ultimately, a fundamentally political issue. Discussing the legal challenges which an EU region vying for independence will encounter inevitably draws one into political questions. However, in my intervention I will try to keep a clear legal focus, leaving the political issues to the political actors.

Turning to the assigned topic, it is worth pointing out the assumptions which underlie the question on 'internal enlargement.' Thus, should a region of an EU Member State become independent, it would indeed be in the economic and political interest of that region to try and secure its own EU membership as fast and smoothly as possible, as a matter of self-preservation. Secondly, the notion of enlargement already hints at the hurdles which such a region would have to overcome, similarly to the challenges faced by a third country when it applies for membership of the EU under Article 49 TEU.

Keywords: Independence, Secession, EU enlargement, EU regions, Scotland, Flanders, Catalonia

Suggested Citation

Chamon, Merijn, United in Autonomy? The Question of EU Internal Enlargement (September 26, 2014). Paper presented at the UNPO & EFA Conference 'The Right to Decide in the 21st Century: Scotland, Catalonia and Beyond.' 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2520791 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2520791

Merijn Chamon (Contact Author)

Maastricht University ( email )

P.O. Box 616
Maastricht, Limburg 6200MD
Netherlands

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
58
Abstract Views
375
Rank
653,991
PlumX Metrics