Current candidate countries include Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey and since 23 June also Ukraine and Moldova. Attitudes of even skeptical citizens, do not discard the possibility on future sustainable enlargements. The application remains frozen.

What are the criteria for being an EU candidate country? Several sovereign states have previously submitted applications for membership to the EU, but are no longer on the agenda.

On 6 February 2018, the European Commission published its expansion plan,[75] which covers the six Western Balkan countries. Serbia and Montenegro have been described by former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn as the frontrunner candidates, and projected that they would join by 2025, during the next mandate of the European Commission.

The EU struggled to deal with the sudden reunification of Germany with the addition of its poorer 17 million people and, while keeping its monetary union project on track, it was still at that early stage pointing the EFTA countries in the direction of the EEA rather than full membership. In the case of the Western Balkans, a special process, the Stabilisation and Association Process exists to deal with the special circumstances there. The Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean became part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands on 2007-02-22. Ease of accession depends on the state: how integrated it is with the EU beforehand, the state of its economy and public institutions, any outstanding political issues with the EU and (historically) how much law to date the EU has built up that the acceding state must adopt. A chapter is said to be closed when both sides have agreed it has been implemented sufficiently, however it can still be re-opened if the Commission feels that the candidate has fallen out of compliance. The movement westward of some of the labour force of the newly acceded countries that occurred in the aftermath of the enlargement initially spawned clichs among the public opinion and media of some western countries (such as the "Polish plumber"), despite the generally conceded benefit to the economies concerned. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement.

Albania and the several successor states of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have all adopted EU integration as an aim of foreign policy. [82] On June 17, 2022, the European Commission recommended that Ukraine and Moldova become candidates for EU membership, and that Georgia be recognized as a potential candidate but that it would need to "meet certain conditions" in order to be granted candidate status. Once negotiations and reforms have been completed, an Accession Treaty is finalised, which needs to be ratified by all existing EU member states and the country itself before the country can join the EU. Since then, the EU's membership has grown to twenty-seven, with the latest member state being Croatia, which joined in July 2013. the above without the newly independent: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, French Tunisia, French Morocco, French India; French Guinea, French Cameroons, French Togoland, the above, West Berlin, without Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean. [14] Only after a 12-hour talk between British Prime Minister Edward Heath and French President Georges Pompidou took place did Britain's third application succeed. Once the negotiations are complete, a Treaty of Accession will be signed, which must then be ratified by all of the member states of the Union, as well as the institutions of the Union, and the candidate country. [49], After the 1970s, Europe experienced an economic downturn which led to leaders launching of the Single European Act which set to create a single market by 1992. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual harmonisation of national laws. [50] On 1 January 1995 Austria, Finland, and Sweden acceded to the EU marking its fourth enlargement. Iceland applied in 2009 following an economic collapse, but froze accession negotiations in 2013 after the election of a new government. The European Commission published its Enlargement Strategy Paper on 6 February 2018, which cites 2025 as an indicative joining date for Serbia and Montenegro. However, its a long process involving a lot of preparation. When a country formally applies for membership, the Council asks the commission to prepare an opinion on the country's readiness to begin negotiations. As such it ceased to be a condominium, but the USA continued to claim it until 1979, Renamed the British Solomon Islands on 1976-01-02, Renamed South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in 1985, Split into the Gilbert Islands (which was merged with the Canton and Enderbury Islands) and Ellice Island on 1975-01-01, British Sovereign Base Areas on the island of Cyprus, Legally a British colony until independence in 1980, The island of Barbuda became a separate territory from Antigua on 1976-12-23, The island of Mayotte became a separate territory in 1974, and chose to remain with France, rather than become independent, Anguilla stayed a British colony, while Saint Christopher and Nevis became independent as St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda and Redonda merged to become independent as Antigua and Barbuda, Although Aruba was only added to the OCT list with the entry into force of the, The Netherlands Antilles dissolved on 10 October 2010 and contained the islands of Aruba (which left the Netherlands Antilles in 1986), Bonaire, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius.

The commission and candidate country examine its laws and those of the EU and determine what differences exist. [47] After Britain was accepted Prime Minister Edward Heath said: "For my part, I have no doubt at all that the discussions which we have had will prove of real and lasting benefit, not only to Britain and France, but to Europe as a whole."[47]. Before a country applies for membership it typically signs an association agreement to help prepare the country for candidacy and eventual membership. Draft accession treaty approved by Estonian government, Right to limit migration from 2004 countries expired, Only Austria and Germany applied this, the rest of EU countries abolished restrictions before 2011. Turkey is not expected to join anytime soon. After the large enlargements in 2004, public opinion in Europe turned against further expansion. In a speech to EU leaders at the start of a summit dedicated to this issue on 23 June 2022, Parliament President Roberta Metsola said this would strengthen the EU: We should be clear this is not simply some symbolic act, this will strengthen the EU and it will strengthen Ukraine and Moldova. Referred to as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" by the EU before 2019. The European Parliament subsequently voted to accept an emergency petition from the government of Ukraine for EU member state candidacy. Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, also known as the. This was the largest single enlargement in terms of people, and number of countries, though not in terms of GDP. Croatia joined on 1 July 2013, following ratification of the 2011 Accession Treaty by all other EU countries. [2][3] The European Council endorsed starting negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania on 26 March 2020, and they could join after 2025. [13] This has in particular been pushed by France and Germany as a privileged partnership for Turkey, membership for which has faced considerable opposition on cultural and logistical grounds. It will show our people, as well as theirs, that our values matter more than rhetoric. The year 1985, however, saw the first time a territory voted to leave the Community, when Greenland was granted home rule by Denmark and the territory used its new powers and voted to withdraw from the Community (See member state territories). These recommendations were approved by the European Council during a summit on June 23, 2022.[83][84]. The analysis shows, there are a number of possible factors of the rationalization and understanding of the practices on what the enlargement has been and should be like. However France made that concession only as Britain's small agriculture sector would ensure that Britain would be a net contributor to the Common Agricultural Policy dominated EEC budget. the above, without the newly independent: French Guinea, French Cameroons, Togo, Mali Federation, Malagasy Republic, Belgian Congo, Italian Somaliland, Dahomey, Niger, Upper Volta, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Mauritania, Ruanda-Urundi. Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Fernando Mara Castiella sent the request form to French Prime Minister Maurice Couve de Murville. Often this will involve time-lines before the Acquis Communautaire (European regulations, directives and standards) has to be fully implemented. A number of countries have applied to join the EU. The Parliaments approval is also required before a country can join the EU.

Each at its own pace, with its own specificities and under different conditions, but the direction is clear and is one.

As of mid-2022, Bulgaria and Romania are not members of the Schengen Area nor the Eurozone; however, their citizens can travel visa-free to the other EU countries. There would be no further efforts at enlargement until the early 1970s. L'Unione europea e la dimensione orientale, THE NEXT ENLARGEMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIESSPEECH BY SIR LEON BRITTAN QC TO EUROPAPOLITISCHER KONGRESS ORGANISED BY THE CDU/CSU GROUP IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BERLIN 11 September 1995 and Gnter Verheugen Member of the Commission responsible for Enlargement Enlargement is irreversible Debate on Enlargement in the European Parliament Strasbourg, 3 October 2000, "The provisions of Part Four of the Treaty were applied to Surinam, by virtue of a Supplementary Act of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to complete its instrument of ratification, from 1 September 1962 to 16 July 1976. In a resolution adopted in October 2019, Parliament expressed disappointment that Albania and North Macedonia were not able to start accession talks, stressing that the enlargement process has played a decisive role in stabilising the Western Balkans. The European Council set out the conditions for EU membership in June 1993 in the so-called Copenhagen criteria (see Criteria above for details). the above, the Faroe Islands, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the above without the newly independent Rhodesia, the above, with Aruba, formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles, the above, without the newly independent East Timor, the above, without Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean, the above, without the now-dissolved Netherlands Antilles, with Curaao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, the above without Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands, the above without the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Archival material concerning the enlargement of the European Union can be consulted at the, This page was last edited on 20 July 2022, at 05:42. [14] However the Norwegian government lost a national referendum on membership and hence did not accede with the others on 1 January 1973. The EEC economy had also slowed down and British membership was seen as a way to revitalise the community.

[77] As of 2018, Kosovo was not recognized by fellow Western Balkan applicant Serbia, and existing EU members Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece. French President Charles de Gaulle opposed British membership. Although eventually trying to limit the number of members, and after encouragement from the US, the EU pursued talks with ten countries and a change of mind[clarification needed] by Cyprus and Malta helped to offset slightly the influx of large poorer member states from Central and Eastern Europe. In March 2022, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova applied to join the EU. These five countries were joined by Italy and they all signed the Treaty of Paris on 23 July 1952. On 2007-02-22, they became separate territories but France retained application of EU law there, and their EU OMR status was confirmed in the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on 2009-01-01. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. [74] Juncker has described Serbia and Montenegro as front-runner candidates, and projected that they would join by 2025.

The United Kingdom, which had refused to join as a founding member, changed its policy following the Suez crisis and applied to be a member of the Communities. [56] The move to Enlargement directorate was a consequence of the advancement of the Stabilisation and Association process. In December 1995, the Madrid European Council revised the membership criteria to include conditions for member country integration through the appropriate adjustment of its administrative structures: since it is important that European Community legislation be reflected in national legislation, it is critical that the revised national legislation be implemented effectively through appropriate administrative and judicial structures. On 18 October 2019, France vetoed starting of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, citing problems with the current enlargement process. Article 49 of the Maastricht Treaty (as amended) says that any European state that respects the "principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law", may apply to join the Union. [8] In November 2019, France proposed a seven-stage accession plan for membership. Parliament called for EU candidate status to be given to Ukraine and Moldova, EU-Western Balkans summit in Brdo pri Kranju, Europese Raad 5-6 oktober 2021 (Informeel, Westelijke Balkantop), Toetredingsprocedure tot de Europese Unie, Nederland steunt kandidaat-lidmaatschap EU van Oekrane, Europese Commissie steunt EU-kandidatuur Oekrane en Moldavi, EU-kandidatuur verheugt Oekrane en Moldavi, Duitsland, Frankrijk en Itali steunen EU-kandidatuur Oekrane. [72] Bosnia and Herzegovina has submitted an application for EU membership, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo have an SAA with the EU.

Find out how enlargement works and how countries can join the European Union. Accession process of new countries to the European Union, Adlie Land, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands and Saint-Paul-and-Amsterdam Islands merged to become the French Southern and Antarctic Lands on 1955-08-06.

[46] Algeria gained independence on 5 July 1962 and hence left the Community. [48] These countries were so economically linked to the UK that they considered it necessary to join the EEC if the UK did. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Kosovo are potential candidates. These countries benefit from EU funding, detailed policy advice, as well as Association Agreements, giving far-reaching access to the EUs internal market. Other EEC members were also inclined to British membership on those grounds. Most countries do not meet the criteria to even begin negotiations before they apply, so they need many years to prepare for the process. Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted an application for membership in 2016, as did Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova in the first few weeks of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. And other countries waiting - those in the Western Balkans - also need to see hope lead to results. Turkey applied for membership in 1987. The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. The Copenhagen criteria stated in 1993 that a country must be a democracy, operate a free market, and be willing to adopt the entire body of EU law already agreed upon. It also needs stable institutions guaranteeing democracy and the rule of law; a functioning market economy; and the ability to take on and carry out the obligations of EU membership. The European Commission is sensitive to the issue which was addressed in a speech by the EU's High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini at the European Parliament Plenary Session on the Western Balkan Strategy: "shared, unequivocal, concrete perspective for European Union integration for each and every one of the six partners.

"[78], Amid the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the three former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia submitted applications for EU membership. The southern Mediterranean countries had just emerged from dictatorships and wanted to secure their democratic systems through the EEC, while the EEC wanted to ensure the same thing and that their southern neighbours were stable and aligned to NATO.

The years subsequent to the EU accession will lead to extensive dialogues between policy-makers, governments, and European citizens about the path for a constructive development.[55]. Those Article 2 values are "respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities." Greece joined the EU in 1981 followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986. It is time.. Saint Martin and Saint Barthlemy were part of Guadeloupe and thus already part of the EU. Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are all recognized as official candidates and in negotiation; negotiations with Turkey are frozen. All territories were already outside the ECSC and the merged territory retained the same status, Senegal and the Sudanese Republic merged on 1959-04-04 to create the Mali Federation, Renamed French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967, Became independent as the Kingdom of Ruanda and the Kingdom of Burundi, Including the County of Greenland, which later gained home rule and left the EC, The UK co-administered the condominium of the Canton and Enderbury Islands with the USA, until the UK merged it with its Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony on 1975-01-01 to create its Gilbert Islands colony. Turkey received candidate status only in 1999 and began official membership negotiations in 2005, which were still in progress as of 2021. The entire process, from application for membership to membership has typically taken about a decade, although some countries, notably Sweden, Finland, and Austria have been faster, taking only a few years. The process from application for association agreement through accession has taken far longer, as much as several decades (Turkey, for example, first applied for association in the 1950s and has yet to conclude accession negotiations). The effect of this was that EFTA states found it harder to export to the EEC and businesses (including large EFTA corporations such as Volvo) wished to relocate within the new single market making the downturn worse for EFTA. An association agreement helps prepare for this first step. The most notable territorial reductions of the EU, and its predecessors, have been the exit of Algeria upon independence in 1962, the exit of Greenland in 1985, and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in 2020. With the end of the Cold War in 1989, that obstacle was removed, and the desire to pursue membership grew stronger.

the above, Antigua, Redonda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Brunei, Canton and Enderbury Islands. [44] This request was rejected by all the member countries in 1964; Spain was not a democracy at the time, and thus unable to enter the EEC.[45]. [43], In 1962, Spain, ruled by the military dictator Francisco Franco, issued its first attempt to join the European Communities. Morocco and Turkey applied for membership in 1987. The plan envisages that all six applicants could achieve accession as members of the European Union after 2025. Most of the new EEA states pursued full EU membership as the EEA did not sufficiently satisfy the needs of their export based corporations. The Norwegian government lost a second national referendum on membership. The Council then recommends opening negotiations on "chapters" of law that it feels there is sufficient common ground to have constructive negotiations. The following is an example of the accession processEstonia's path to membership from its restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in November 1991 with recognition from the EU the same month to membership in May 2004. Today the accession process follows a series of formal steps, from a pre-accession agreement to the ratification of the final accession treaty. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union. Once this has been completed it will join the Union on the date specified in the treaty. The US also pressured the EU to offer membership as a temporary guarantee; it feared expanding NATO too rapidly for fear of frightening Russia.

In a resolution adopted in June 2020, MEPs call on the EU to do more to make the enlargement process for these countries a success. the above, without the newly independent: the above, without the Netherlands Antilles. [42] Half of the project states, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, had already achieved a great degree of integration amongst themselves with the organs of Benelux and earlier bilateral agreements. Ukraine and Moldova were subsequently recognized as official candidates, while BosniaHerzegovina and Georgia are recognized as a potential candidate and have been asked to complete additional reforms before becoming official candidates for membership. Finally, and technically outside the Copenhagen criteria, comes the further requirement that all prospective members must enact legislation to bring their laws into line with the body of European law built up over the history of the Union, known as the acquis communautaire.

To assess progress achieved by countries in preparing for accession to the European Union, the European Commission submits regular reports (yearly) to the European Council. The 1970s also saw Greece, Spain, and Portugal emerge from dictatorship. [14] A later French President, Franois Mitterrand, opposed Greek, Spanish and Portuguese membership, fearing that the former dictatorships were not ready and that the countries' inclusion would reduce the union to a free-trade area. This was more readily accepted with the prospect of poorer countries wishing to join; contributions from richer countries would help balance the EU budget. The EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community,[1] was founded with the Inner Six member states in 1958, when the Treaty of Rome came into force. During the summit, EU countries recognised Ukraine and Moldova as candidate countries and Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as potential candidates, meaning they have been asked to complete additional reforms.

Algeria, which was an integral part of France, had a special relationship with the Community. However, the EU's desire to accept these countries' membership applications was less than rapid. 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These conditions included investing more in education and infrastructure, and completing a number of reforms in the areas of elections, judicial independence, crime, corruption, and oligarchs. [51], States in Central and Eastern Europe persisted and eventually the above-mentioned issues were cleared. These serve as a basis for the council to make decisions on negotiations or their extension to other candidates. 30) was opened and closed at the same time. The next enlargement would occur for different reasons. Morocco's application was turned down as it was not considered European, while Turkey's application was considered eligible on the basis of the 1963 Ankara Association Agreement, but the opinion of the commission on the possible candidate status was by then negative. Also in 1993 the European Economic Area was established with the EFTA states except Switzerland.

Both territories were already EU OCTs and the merged territory retained the same status. Commission representatives discussed the strategy with MEPs during a debate in plenary in Strasbourg on the same day. Final chapter (No. EFTA states began to discuss closer links with the EEC despite its domestic unpopularity.[50]. The council can then either accept or reject the commission's opinion (The council has only once rejected the commission's opinion when the latter advised against opening negotiations with Greece).[7]. Those states which have not been recognised as candidate countries are considered "potential candidate countries". Equally, the EEC was unsure about which way these countries were heading and wanted to ensure stability along its southern borders. However, with the EEA's credibility dented following rejection by businesses and Switzerland, the EU agreed with full membership. The most recent territorial enlargement of the EU was the incorporation of Mayotte in 2014. The collapse of communism came quickly and was not anticipated. Norway has completed membership negotiations twice, in 1972 and 1994, but both times membership was rejected in a referendum.