Lisbon not automatic door-opener

The question:
“Hello, my name is Jürg Jensen, from Germany. I have this question: will the Lisbon Treaty, once adopted, reforming the EU institutional bodies, lead to further enlargement and open up the doors for the western Balkans and Turkey?”

The answer:
“Hello, I’m Jean-Michel De Waele, a political science professor at the Free University in Brussels.
“No, I don’t think one can say that the new Treaty of Lisbon is going to open the European Union door for Turkey or the Balkans. It may even complicate new enlargements.
“One could say that the debate on enlargement will be more democratic, because the Lisbon Treaty, in spite of all its imperfections, does make the EU more democratic.
“Therefore, the citizens’ involvement in debate, through the European Parliament, will, without a doubt, be greater than it has been for other enlargements.
“Enlargements are highly political; they are political decisions. It’s not simply technical questions. So: enlargement concerning Turkey or the Balkans will be a decision of the 27 member states and not simply the result of negotiations among technocrats. The Lisbon Treaty isn’t going to change that.”

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tags: European elections, European Union