http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/2890/martha-otwinowski Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sun, 17 May 2026 12:14:10 -0400 Sun, 17 May 2026 12:14:10 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1076/is-the-eu-reaching-the-limits-of-enlargement By Martha Otwinowski - Among European states in the aftermath of the Second World War, multilateral cooperation was seen as a long term stabilisation for peace. The European Union (EU), since its establishment in 1957 as the European Coal and Steel Community with six members, saw several enlargement rounds over the subsequent decades, driven by the idea that ever more members mean new markets and therefore increase economic benefit for everyone. The idea of EU enlargement as a means of foreign policy2 first found expression in the 1986 accession of Spain and Portugal. With both states just coming out of authoritarian... Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1076/is-the-eu-reaching-the-limits-of-enlargement