http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/ec382e0c5629cf53 https://verfassungsblog.de/wider-always-meant-unequal/ Wider Always Meant Unequal - How Enlargement Mechanisms Entrench Structural Inequalities Díez Sánchez, Leticia eng 2026-10-12 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Commission EU EU Equality accession new member states safeguard clauses EU Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 In his recent post, Spieker criticises the “safeguard clauses” that would enable the suspension of voting rights in the Council and the freezing of EU funds if a new Member State seriously breaches foundational EU values or the principle of sincere cooperation. This contribution argues that the Commission’s plans would not direct us into a fundamentally new legal reality. Enlargement has always produced long-lasting inequalities between older and newer members. Some of these inequalities remain to this day and have even been endorsed by the Court.