Accession to the European Union

Criteria

acquis

rationale

1993 Copenhagen criteria

• stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;

• the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union

• the ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.

• the conditions for its integration through the adjustment of its administrative structures, so that European Community legislation transposed into national legislationis implemented effectively through appropriate administrative and judicial structures.

1997 Luxemburg Summit

• Brought together in a single process:• the European Conference, a multilateral framework

bringing together ten central European countries, Cyprus and Turkey, which was launched on 12 March 1998;

• the accession process, covering ten central European countries and Cyprus, which was launched on 30 March 1998;

• the accession negotiations, which the European Council decided to open on 31 March 1998 with six countries, as recommended by the European Commission: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia.

thirteen applicant countries

• Bulgaria, Cyprus,the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Turkey.

• Malta reentered the process in 1998

1951 Paris, 1957 Rome

• Belgium

• France

• Germany

• Italy

• Luxemburg

• Netherlands

1973

• Denmark

• Ireland

• U.K.

1981 and 1986

• 1981 Greece

• 1986 Portugal and Spain

• Former dictatorships. Military intervention in politics

1995

• AUSTRIA

• FINLAND

• SWEDEN

• NORWAY AND SWITZERLAND HELD REFERENDUMS AND DECIDED NOT TO JOIN. Greenland had decided similarly

• Shortage of states to pay for applicants

BIGGEST ENLARGEMENT SO FAR

• New applicants would increase territory by 34%

• population by 105 million

• ADD COUNTRIES WITH LITTLE OR NO DEMOCRATIC TRADITION

• given lessons of East Germany cost an enormous amount

Agenda 2000

• Framework for enlargement presented by the Commission in July 1997

• reform of CAP vital

• institutional reform

• common foreign policy

• economic modernisation

Documents

• Impact study http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/agenda2000/impact/intro.htm

• Negotiations http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/negotiations/index.htm

• Achievement so far http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/negotiations/ach_en.html