How 1989 changed the history of European integration

Abstract

The collapse of communism in Europe from 1989 onwards led to profound changes not just in those Central and East European states that cast of communism, but right across the continent. This article assesses the impact of these changes on the process of integration, analysing how the prospect of German unification affected attitudes among allies and contributed to moves that led to the Treaty on the European Union. It then looks at how the demands of the Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) led to pressures to enlarge, which necessitated controversial treaty reform.