The European union explained Enlarging the EU and getting on with the neighbours

Uniting a continent A union of 28 Copenhagen Dec. 2002 the European Council invited 12 more countries to join in putting an end to the division which had split our continent in two since 1945. Czech republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta (2004) Bulgaria and Romania(2007) Croatia (2013)

Negotiations under way Turkey applied for European Union Membership in 1987, began accession procedures in 2005 but some member states are still against. The western Balkan countries (most ex-Yugoslavia) are turning to the EU in order to speed up their economic reconstruction, improving their mutual relations and consolidate their democratic institutions. The EU has given ‘candidate country’ status to Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Potential candidates are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (independent since 2008) Iceland applied for membership in 2009 but put negotiations on hold in 2013 at its own request.

Membership conditions Legal requirements Lisbon treaty art. 49 ‘any European state may apply to become a member of the EU provided it respects the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. The ‘Copenhagen criteria’ laid down in 1993: Stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities; A functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union The ability to take on obligations of membership, including support for the aims of the Union. They must have a public administration capable of applying and managing the EU laws in practice.

The process of becoming an EU member state Accession negotiations or membership talks between the candidate country and the European Commission The existing member states meeting in the Council must agree unanimously The EP must also give its assent with absolute majority of its MEPs The accession Treaty must be ratified by the Member States and the candidate country, each in accordance with its own constitutional procedure.

During the negotiation period, candidate countries normally receive ‘pre-accession’ financial aid from the EU to help them catch up economically. They also have èstabilisation and association agreements’ with EU. Under these agreements, the EU directly monitors the economic and administrative reforms the candidate countries countries have to carry out in order to meet the conditions for EU membership.

How large can the EU become? Neighborhood policy Enlargements in 2004 and 2007 pushed European Union’s borders further east and south, raising the question of how the EU should handle the relations with its new neighbours. The EU developed a new European neighbourhood policy (ENP), governing relations with its neighbours to the east and to the south. Almost all the countries have bilateral ‘partnership and cooperation’ agreements or association agreements with the EU, under which they are committed to common values (i.e, democracy, human rights and rule of law)and to making progress towards a market economy, sustainable development and reducing poverty. In exchange EU offers financial, technical and macroeconomic assistance to help these countries develop.

Since 1995, the Southern Mediterranean countries have been linked to the European Union through political, economic and diplomatic ties known as the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, bringing together the 28 Member states of the European Union and 16 partner countries across the southern Mediterranean and Middle East. The EU’s financial assistance to both groups of countries is managed by the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI)