European Union's dilemma crystallized with fifth enlargement: Social Europe versus neoliberalizm

European Union enlargement policy is a crucial tool that affects both the position of European Union at the international arena and balance inside the Community. To expose the relationship between the position before enlargement and the situation after enlargement is so important for understanding the purposes this enlargement tool is serving. The clash between globally hegemonic neoliberalism and European Social Model, and the pressure on European Union arising from this clash emerged before fifth enlargement. When the transformation of new member states from socialism to neoliberalism is considered, understanding the effects of fifth enlargement on the choice of EU against this dilemma gains more meaning.European Union?s dilemma between neoliberalism and European Social Model has been discussed in this study over the fifth enlargement. For this purpose the concepts of neoliberalism and European Social Model has been addressed primarily. Afterwards, European Union politics and fifth enlargement has been analyzed within the framework of these concepts.