The EU’s Open Arms and Small States

Abstract

The EU has fostered lasting peace and prosperity in Europe since World War II and welcomed formerly autocratic countries back into the European fold. The paper describes the EU as a union of primarily small European states whose parallel emphasis on efficiency and fairness, including deep respect for human rights, holds the key to Europe´s economic and social advances. While expansion fatigue has temporarily slowed the momentum of the widening of European unification, the EU can expect to benefit from welcoming more small states as members, including Albania and Iceland as well as Catalonia and Scotland should they declare independence.

Keywords

• Iceland
• international relations
• NATO
• US
• EU