Abstract | Accession to the European Union (EU) is a complex and multifaced exercise requiring immeasurable amounts of preparatory work. After all, the EU is nothing akin to a golf club where participation merely requires payment of fees and some rudimentary knowledge of the game. By joining the EU, newcomers become a part of the unique legal system, the customs union, and the internal market it provides for. Not surprisingly, accession to the EU brings benefits but also comes with inherent challenges and ever-growing levels of differentiation. With this in mind it is easy to understand why, from the first enlargement onwards, consecutive waves of new accessions have been based on a plethora of transitional arrangements. This has included, for instance, transition periods during which certain pieces of EU acquis do not apply in or to the entrants. Such temporary regimes, while serving their purpose, have also created additional layers of diversity, and have contributed to the shaping of an EU of different speeds. This chapter offers a comprehensive insight into different types of temporal mechanisms envisaged in all seven accession treaties concluded thus far. |
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