ABSTRACT. The results of the current paper provide useful insights on the delegation of power to member states in EU laws, the diverse political and economic conditions in the new member states, the multilateral character of accession nego- tiations and the outcomes of the enlargement process, the variation in the duration of pre-accession negotiations, and the outcome of EU accession negotiations. The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of states’ incentives to deviate, the political system of the EU, the structure and the process of the multilateral accession negotiations, the EU accession negotiations and outcomes, and the negotiations about the free movement of workers during the Eastern enlargement round. pp. 447–452
JEL: F51, D72, P16

Keywords: EU laws, accession negotiation, member states