Description:
Although it is important to eliminate the illegitimatizing undemocratic heritage of the European institutional framework, any attempt to use the institutional reformist process as a means to delay the eastern widening of the European Union could endanger not only the democratic consolidation of the Central & Eastern European societies, but also the security & stability of the continent. Even more worrisome is that it could jeopardize the unity of the European integrationist project, as countries such as Germany, Austria, Denmark, & Finland lose interest in building Europe in favor of a greater bilateralism in their relationships with their Eastern European neighbors.