However, potential and actual positive impacts of enlargement may become more evident over time. Most
importantly, EU accession has in most cases helped to consolidate democratic practices in the new member
states. Second, the process has largely removed the Central and Eastern European countries that joined
the EU as ‘zones of contention’ between the West and Russia. Their status is defined not only in terms of
guarantees offered by Article 5 of the NATO charter, but also by their integration into the fabric of Europe’s
social, political and economic life. Removing the ambiguity of an ‘in-between’ status for these countries could
prove stabilising and remove potential triggers for conflict with Russia in the long run.
Sociological corollaries of EU accession also may have long-term positive impacts on EU-Russian relations.
As the free movement of people fosters deep socio-cultural and economic interconn