Enlargement

For half a century, the EU has pursued ever-deeper integration while taking in new members. Most of the time, the two processes took place in parallel. A growing membership has been part of the development of European integration right from the start. Today's EU, with 27 Member States and a population of close to 500 million people, is much safer, more prosperous, stronger and more influential than the original European Economic Community of 50 years ago, with its 6 members and population of less than 200 million.

The governments of the EU Member States, coming together in the European Council, have agreed to extend the EU perspective to countries in South East Europe - Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and Turkey. Membership will only happen when the necessary requirements are met. A gradual and carefully managed enlargement process creates a win-win situation for all countries concerned.

Conditions

Any European country which respects the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law may apply to become a member of the Union. The Treaty on European Union sets out the conditions ( article 6, article 49). Applying for EU membership is the start of the long and rigorous process.

The official starting point is that a country submits an application - although this invariably arises out of an already strong bilateral relationship with the EU. A valid application triggers a sequence of EU evaluation procedures that may - or may not - result in a country eventually being invited to become a member. The speed with which each country advances depends solely on its own progress towards our common goals. The application from a country wishing to join is submitted to the Council.

The European Commission provides a formal opinion on the applicant country, and the Council decides whether to accept the application. Once the Council unanimously agrees a negotiating mandate, negotiations may be formally opened between the candidate and all the Member States. This is not automatic, though. The applicant country must meet a core of criteria before negotiations start. The so-called "Copenhagen criteria", set out in December 1993 by the European Council in Copenhagen, require a candidate country to have:

•  stable institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;
•  a functioning market economy, as well as the ability to cope with the pressure of competition and the market forces at work inside the Union;
•  the ability to assume the obligations of membership, in particular adherence to the objectives of political, economic and monetary union.

In 1995, the Madrid European Council further clarified that a candidate country must also be able to put the EU rules and procedures into effect. Accession also requires the candidate country to have created the conditions for its integration by adapting its administrative structures. While it is important for EU legislation to be transposed into national legislation, it is even more important for the legislation to be implemented and enforced effectively through the appropriate administrative and judicial structures. This is a prerequisite of the mutual trust needed for EU membership.

In addition, the EU must be able to integrate new members: it needs to ensure that its institutions and decisionmaking processes remain effective and accountable; it needs to be in a position, as it enlarges, to continue developing and implementing common policies in all areas; and it needs to be in a position to continue financing its policies in a sustainable manner.

Candidate countries

At present, there are four candidate countries, Croatia,  Turkey, Iceland and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Accession negotiations with the first two started on 3 October 2005. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia became a candidate country in December 2005 but accession negotiations have not started yet.

The other countries of the Western Balkans - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo under UNSC Resolution 1244/99 - have all been promised the prospect of EU membership as and when they are ready. They are known as potential candidates. With all the countries of the Western Balkans the EU has established a process – known as the Stabilisation and Association process - which aims to bring them progressively closer to the EU. Thanks to this process, these countries already enjoy free access to that of the EU single market for practically all their exports, as well as EU financial support for their reform efforts.

The centrepiece of the process is a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (for an example, see agreement between EU and Croatia) which represents a contractual relationship between the EU and each Western Balkan country, dealing with mutual rights and obligations. The Stabilisation and Association Agreements focus on respect for key democratic principles and the core elements which are at the heart of the EU single market.

Through a free trade area with the EU and the associated disciplines (competition and state aid rules, intellectual property etc) and benefits (e.g. rights of establishment), and through reforms designed to achieve the adoption of EU standards, this process will allow the economies of the region to begin to integrate with that of the EU. Provided the conditions are fulfilled, the Stabilisation and Association Agreements can be completed with all Western Balkan countries in 2008, with agreements either signed or in force.

Candidate countries have to demonstrate that they will be able to play their part fully as members - something which requires wide support among their citizens, as well as political, legal and technical compliance with the EU's demanding standards and norms. The EU operates comprehensive approval procedures that ensure new members are admitted only when they have met all requirements, and only with the active consent of the EU institutions and the governments of the EU member states and of the country concerned.

Countries wishing to join the EU can proceed from one stage of the process to the next, but only once all the conditions at each stage have been met. In this way, the prospect of accession acts as a powerful incentive to reform.