The Rise of Lilliputians, Is this a Real Challenge to the Enlarged EU?: The Case of the CFSP

One of the sui generis characteristics of the current and forthcoming enlargement of the European Union (EU) is the accession of a large number of small state members. Against this backdrop, there is a conventional wisdom that the accession of these new small member states has not generally been welcomed, but that it is commonly considered as a matter for concern, which presents a number of challenges to the EU. Of the challenges likely to be caused by the accession of a large number of new small member states, this paper focuses on the impact of the accession of these states on the future development of the Common Foreign Security Policy (CFSP). In order to address this question, it will examine the future development of the CFSP, with reference to its decision-making process, implementation of its relevant acquis and the implications for external relations. In so doing, this paper aims to contend that the conventional wisdom is not necessarily the only possible outcome expected.