In this paper, it will be shown that the European system is first built within a discourse about the "we" (the European political community) which, concomitant to moments of territorial imbalance (enlargement), initiates a movement of territorial order creation. The first part will be dedicated to the study of the discourse performing the European political community. It will be conducted through the analysis of the European speech act (speaking “Europe” is Europe, to paraphrase Austin). This will serve to introduce both concepts of "discourse" and "enlargement" through their interdependence within the definition of the European order. Then, the second part will trace the evolution of the self-referential discourse of the European political community so has to introduce a historical perspective to the construction of the order within the European space. Thus, the emergence and consolidation of the European discursive system will be analyzed through a historical look at enlargements.
