Enlargment

After a gradual increase from 6 to 15 Members, on May 1st 2004 the European Union underwent the most extensive enlargement in its history in terms of breadth and diversity, with the addition of no less than 10 new members: Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Hungary.

Added to these were Romania and Bulgaria, which became EU members in January 2007.

Negotiations were launched on 3 October 2005 for the accession of Croatia and Turkey, candidates respectively since June 2004 and December 1999.

Accession negotiations were brought to a successful conclusion on 30 June 2011, leading to the signing of the Accession Act at the European Council of 9 December of the same year. Croatia is expected to become a full member in July 2013 after all 27 Member States have ratified the Accession Act.

On 27 July 2010 negotiations also began for Iceland’s accession, based on the Commission’s positive opinion on that country’s bid for accession (26 July 2009) and on a June 2010 European Council decision.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was granted Candidate Country status in December 2005, and in 2009 the Commission presented a recommendation in favour of launching accession negotiations; the European Council has not yet issued its decision on the matter.

Montenegro submitted its application in December 2008 and obtained Candidate Country status in December 2010.

The European Council held in Fiera in 2000 acknowledged candidate potential to all the other Western Balkans countries – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo – and that prospect was reiterated and reinforced by the European Council held in Thessaloniki in 2003. Albania submitted its accession bid on 28 April 2009, followed by Serbia on 21 December 2009.

Any State aspiring to become a full-fledged EU member must comply with the political and economic conditions known as the Copenhagen Criteria established by the European Council in December 1993, according to which each candidate must:

• have achieved institutional stability such that ensures democracy, rule of law and minority rights;
• have a functioning market economy and be able to sustain the pressure of competition and market forces within the Union;
• fulfil accession obligations and adopt the common rules, laws and policies that make up the body of EU legislation.

The EU helps these countries in their reception of the community acquis and offers financial assistance in order to accelerate their adaptation to EU standards by means of the Pre-Accession Instrument.