Since its inception, the European Union has been growing significantly in membership with some of its new members coming from different economic and political blocs. Guided by the Copenhagen criteria of joining it, most countries have progressively become members through the signing of various treaties (Thomson 2011). The current composition of the European Union is twenty eight countries (28) as opposed to a lesser number before the year 2004, when it had only eighteen members (18) members. The number was even smaller in the previous yearsever in European Union (Steunenberg 2004). The countries that joined the European union in the year 2004 through the signed treaty include; Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. In the year 2007, two more countries joined the union, and these are the Bulgaria and the Romania whose attempt to join in the year 2003 was unsuccessful. All these accessions were guided by the treaty of accession signed in the year 2003 which also led to an increment in the number of treaties signed since its formation (Thomson 2011)

The increment in member countries did notand budgetary aspect of European Union, its powers and regulations, obligations to the new states as well as the process of decision making and policy formulation in all its organs. Owing to the accession of new states, its constitution changed in order to accommodate the new nations in accordance to its guiding principle of respect to the governance of sovereign member states (Steunenberg 2004). According to Steunenberg (2004), the increment led to increased inputs in the different components of the European Union. As a result of this, the process of decision making had to undergo changes due to the considerations of the many and different views from each sovereign state. The accession of the new members led to changes in the various organs including the council of the presidents’ composition as well as council of representatives from each state that affects decision making since each view counts. This was as a result of the increased representation of each member state in the bodies of the union after being given its rights to be a member.

Steunenberg (2004) argues that the increment in membership order to factor in the views of the new members who appeared to be against the new decision. According to Thomson (2011), the joining of the European Union by new members created more political demands as a result of in cooperation of the diversified political backgrounds of the new members. The process of making political decisions was affected too, due to the different political arguments both in number and orientations. The ideologies from each new member were different, and a consensus had to be reached while making a political decision, uniform for all the countries (Thomson 2011).

Before the joining of the other countries, decisions on power sharing could be reached in an easier way. With accession of the new members who had an equal chance in power sharing, the decisions on how to share the power of each entity in the European Union changed. It came as a result of according each new member of the union a chance to share power based on the signed treaty of accession (Thomson 2011). Decisions on other parts of union’s pillars were grossly affected. In the European Community pillar, where issues concerning key aspects as trade and industrialization, environment, European Union citizenship, as well as nuclear weapons, took in the consideration of the new members backgrounds. On the common foreign and security policy pillar, the various member state security agencies had to be well represented to ensure uniformity and common applications of the policies related to it (Thomson 2011).

In his observations, Steunenberg (2004) notes that the numbers and levels of consultations in the process of decision making have increased. There are also an increased number of proposals from the different members on different issues dealt with at the European Union. Each proposal as well as the consultations takes relatively some time for it to be considered. As a result; more time is needed to make a decision as opposed to before the new memberships.

formulation of decisions and policies that have no deviations from the voter preferences (Wallace, Pollack & Young 2010)

Due to the increase in membership, the power of decision making of each member reduces since each decision relies fully on what the other members bind in the European Union. As a result of this, the policies of the affected member country remain inflexible hence affecting negatively its citizens It has also limited the member countries autonomy in policy and decision making as well as leading to alteration of already existing policies in order to meet the requirements by the European Union as per the Copenhagen criteria of 1993 (Thomson 2004)

most of the countries that recently joined the European Union have small gross national products compared to the old members of this union. As a result, some of the economic decisions may harm the members with small gross national products or vice versa (Wallace, Pollack & Young 2010).

The procedures are too involved in the cessation of being a member to apply to all the countries. The European Union’s bodies which include the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Council, the European Central Bank, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Auditors remain relevant in decision making. Their decisions are in respect to the sovereignty of the member states although the member states may alter their decisions to meet the requirements of the union (Steunenberg 2004)

References

Steunenberg. B (2004).Widening the European Union: Politics of Institutional Change and Reform. London; UK: Routledge.

Thomson R. (2011). Resolving controversy in the European Union: legislative decision before and after enlargement. Cambridge; UK: Cambridge University.

Wallace H., Pollack M.A & Young A.R (2010).Policy-making in the European Union. Oxford; UK: Oxford University.