Enlargement of the European Union and Effective Implementation of its Rules

The European Union has made a firm commitment to admit new members and has declared that the accession negotiations with prospective members will proceed according to the rate at which they assume the full obligations of membership. At the same time the EU has made it clear to them that "progress in the negotiations depends on the incorporation by the candidate States of the acquis (i.e. the body of EU rules) in their national legislation and especially on their capacity to effectively implement and enforce it."
Although the concept of effective implementation of the acquis communautaire has assumed a pivotal role in the process of enlargement of the EU, there is no consensus on the meaning of that concept. This book seeks to define it and assess the implications of its use as a criterion of entry into the EU.
The book identifies six stages of policy implementation, five steps for establishing effective implementing capacity and four basic components that together constitute the inputs for developing effective capacity. Such capacity extends beyond the legal obligations of EU membership and focuses instead on actual outcomes in terms of the integration of national markets.
The book warns that there are no simple prescriptions on how to develop that capacity. EU rules always allow Member States to use their discretion with respect to the means of implementation. EU rules do not stipulate the amount of resources that should be expended in implementation tasks, nor do they define implementing procedures in sufficient detail. 
Capacity for effective policy or rule implementation ultimately means ability to monitor and evaluate results and learn and adjust accordingly. For this reason, the institutions that candidate countries establish in order to fulfil their membership obligations must be credible and accountable and at the same time flexible and responsive to changing market and social conditions.