EU ENLARGEMENT TO AUSTRIA, FINLAND, AND SWEDEN

The end of the Cold War meant several dramatic changes in the European integration process. The first obvious consequence was the German reunification and the acceleration of the integration in order to avoid a dominant Germany inside Europe. The enlargement to neutral countries during the confrontation between West and East was just possible because of the end of the conflict. It meant the incorporation to the European Union of three countries strongly united to Western Europe with strong and functional market economies and healthy democratic systems with a long tradition. These three countries contributed to change the EU from a community focused on one specific regional area to a wider union aspiring to entitle the whole continent. The following enlargement to Central and East Europe can be understood as the next logical step after the incorporation of Austria, Finland, and Sweden.