| Budget Amount *help |
¥2,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000)
Fiscal Year 2005: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this research project was to demonstrate the enlargement "effect" of the European Union after the Cold War. One can say that the history of the European Union is, in a sense, its history of enlargement and the "deepening" and the "widening" processes of the EU have developed mutually. Particularly after the end of the Cold War, the EU has intensified its internal integration process and, at the same time, the applicant countries and the EU itself, pinned their hopes on the enlargement of the EU, believing that might bring both military security and economic prosperity to the European continent. The enlargement of the EFTA countries in 1995 and of the CEEC (Central and Eastern European countries) in 2004 has proved that such an enlargement "effect" can be recognized. Moreover, the enlargement "effect" can be observed in preventing minority problems among the CEEC. However in the case of the North-South Cyprus problem, only South Cyprus has become a member-state of the EU and the Cyprus problem rmains unresolved, which illustrates that the enlargement of the EU is not a panacea for all regional conflicts. Nontheless, the membership process of Cyprus has reopened the North-South dialogue of Cyprus and has changed the Turkish position toward this issue. So, one can say that some kind of enlargement "effect" can also be seen in the case of the Cyprus problem. Concerning the Turkish membership application, the negociations have now been open since October 2005, and the Turkish government has tried many internal reforms. We can also observe here some kind of enlargement "effect" in Turkey. Consequently, it is demonstrated that the enlargement of the EU has a positive "effect" which brings prospectd for peace and prosperity to the European continent.
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