Towards a New Europe: The Increased Depth and Magnitude of the European Integration Process

The European Union (EU) is presently undergoing a transformation of unprecedented magnitude. The new Europe will be shaped by a growing level of European integration, and by the enlargement of the EU. The main objective of the Maastricht Treaty is the solidification of an economic, monetary and political unity, to be grounded on the three fundamental pivots of economy, foreign policy and common security, as well as cooperation on legislative and internal matters. The establishment of a European region with no internal border controls has already begun: the European Common Market is today a reality, full of both promise and challenges. Regarding the enlargement of the EU in order to include Nations from Central and Eastern Europe, a strategy for their adhesion is already in operation; this will entail certain costs, although benefits will greatly exceed anything that might be achieved on purely economic terms. Economic and monetary unity, as well as foreign policy and common security, are also processes which are being implemented and adapted to emerging needs. These matters are to be studied at the forthcoming Inter-Governmental Conference in Turin. The increased level of European integration, and the enlargement of the EU, will call for institutional reforms which are now being debated, and whose nature will determine the shape of Europe in the years to come.