Patterns of differentiated integration in the EU : explaining variation among post-2004 enlargement countries in the post-accession process

Abstract

Differentiated Integration (DI) is a phenomenon accounting for the path that new Member States (MSs) follow when joining the European Union (EU) and is comprehended as a form of integrating States within the EU’s legal and institutional framework in flexible and heterogenous But whilst Schimmelfennig and Winzen (2017) recognize that high levels of differentiation are expected when it comes to the EU’s youngest members, eventual convergence to the level of integration of older MSs is expected from them. Whilst this statement is proven by the EUDIFF1 (2022) dataset, showing the level of integration of the newer MSs within the EU effectively deepening over time, there is yet no explanation for the different integration trajectories they follow in the post-enlargement process. Therefore, based on Schimmelfennig and Winzen’s (2020) theoretical developments, this paper aims to explain such variations in patterns of integration of post-2004 enlargement countries (PECs) by investigating whether wealth, administrative capacities and Euroscepticism play a role at the national level, thus affecting their integration trajectories. By adopting a treatybased lens of analysis, the focus will be narrowed on the two “extremes” of the PECs basket, academically labelled as “laggards” (Czechia, Hungary and Poland) and “pacesetters” (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This work will adopt a dual methodology to compare “laggards” and “pacesetters” by combining a quantitative and qualitative approach to provide a wider understanding of the integration patterns followed by PECs.