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The European Union (EU) was originally created by the six founding States in 1952 , but has grown to its current size of 25 Member States . There were five successive enlargements during this period, with the largest occurring on May 1 , 2004 , when 10 new member states joined. The EU will have 27 member states when further enlargement takes place in 2007 , with the addition of Romania and Bulgaria . Negotiations are also underway with other states. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European Integration . In order to join the European Union, a state needs to fulfill the economic and political conditions generally known as the Copenhagen Criteria (after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993 ). Also, according to the EU Treaty , each current member state and the European Parliament have to agree to any enlargement. PAST ENLARGEMENTS ''Main article: History Of The European Union ''
CRITERIA AND METHODS In '') These state that the candidate countries must have achieved:
In December , 1993 , 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. In order to assess progress achieved by countries in preparing for accession to the European Union, the European Commission submits 'Regular Reports' to the European Council . These serve as the basis upon which the Council takes decisions on negotiations or their extension to other candidates. Since 1993, the Commission has presented a complete set of Regular Reports on a yearly basis, covering the 10 associated countries in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) as well as Cyprus, Malta and Turkey. External links to the Regular Reports: 1998 , 1999 , 2000 , 2001 , 2002 , 2003 , 2004 , 2005 CURRENT ENLARGEMENT PROCESSES Acceding countries Bulgaria and Romania comprise the second part of the EU's fifth enlargement and are currently scheduled to join it on January 1 , 2007 . This date was firmly set at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003 and confirmed at Brussels on June 18 , 2004 . The country reports of October 2004 also affirmed the January 1 , 2007 date of accession for both Bulgaria and Romania. Bulgaria and Romania signed their Treaty Of Accession on April 25 , 2005 at Luxembourg's Neumuenster Abbey . Currently there is a clause (Article 39(1) of the Accession Protocol) in the Accession Treaty of Bulgaria and Romania about a possible postponement of the joining date to 1 January 2008. Decision will be taken, according to the progress in implementing the commitments by the applicant states, in the Spring of 2006. The decision should be taken unanimously by the European Council . The question is formulated in such a way, that even one opposing current member state is enough to default the outcome to 1 January 2007 accession ("the Council may, acting unanimously on the basis of a Commission recommendation, decide that the date of accession of that State is postponed by one year to 1 January 2008."). Bulgaria ''Main article: Accession Of Bulgaria To The European Union '' Within the framework of integration meetings held between the EU member states and Bulgaria , the latest 'Association Committee' was held on 22 June , 2004. It confirmed overall good progress for the preparation of accession, however, it highlighted the need for further reform of Bulgaria's Judicial structures (particularly in its pre-trial phases), as well as the need for further efforts to fight against corruption and organized crime (including the Trafficking Of People ). There has also been limited progress in with regards to the integration of the Roma Community . The findings are reflected in the 2004 Regular Report . Bulgaria's objective is EU membership in 2007; the Thessaloniki Summit Conclusions in 2003 as well as the Brussels Summit Conclusions of June 2004 states that the EU supports these objectives. The Brussels European Council of December 17 2004 confirmed the conclusion of accession negotiations with Bulgaria, welcoming it as a member on January 1, 2007. Romania ''Main article: Accession Of Romania To The European Union '' According to the last Commission Regular Report 2004 , Romania continues to fulfill the political criteria and it has further consolidated and deepened the stability of its institutions. However, the effectiveness of the reforms of the public administration and the judiciary is dependent on Romania's ability to effectively implement the changes. The Brussels Summit conclusions of December 2004 supports Romania's accession for 2007. The European Council also considered that Romania will be able to assume all the obligations of membership at the envisaged time of its accession, provided that it continues its efforts to that end and completes all necessary reforms and commitments undertaken, in particular important commitments regarding Justice, 'Competition' and Environment. The Accession treaty was subsequently signed in Luxembourg on 25 April 2005. Candidate countries 1 Stabilisation And Association Agreement (SAA) for the Western Balkans states, Association Agreement and Customs Union For Turkey , Europe Agreement for the reference states. 2 Including anti-discrimination and equal opportunities for men and women. FUTURE ENLARGEMENT POSSIBILITIES In the Treaty Of Maastricht (Article 49), it is stated that any European country that respects the principles of the European Union may apply to join. The Copenhagen European Council set out the conditions for EU membership in June 1993 in the so-called Copenhagen Criteria . Whether a country is European or not is a subject to Political Assessment by the EU institutions, but countries in the Council Of Europe that fall onto the border (between Europe and Asia ) all have a significant claim for EU membership (as shown with the accession of Geographically Asian Cyprus ). The European Union has tended to enlarge along regional lines, adding groups of nearby nations. (A notable exception was the accession of Greece.) Currently, the EU is very interested in the integration of the Balkan states. Of Eastern Europe, Heather Grabbe of the Centre For European Reform has said, " Belarus is too authoritarian, Moldova too poor, Ukraine too large, and Russia too scary for the EU to contemplate offering membership any time soon." Due to the 2004 " Orange Revolution " in Ukraine, and the " Rose Revolution " in Georgia in 2003, both countries have started and already implemented extensive reform programs, and an "open door" for both Ukraine and the South Caucasus now exist. The following sections discuss the situation of those states and entities concerning which the issue of EU membership has been discussed in official circles. The European Free Trade Association Switzerland Switzerland took part in negotiating the EEA agreement with the EU and signed the agreement on 2 May 1992 and submitted an application for accession to the EU on 20 May 1992 . A Swiss referendum held on 6 December 1992 rejected EEA membership. As a consequence, the Swiss Government decided to suspend negotiations for EU accession until further notice, but its application remains open. The popular initiative entitled "Yes to Europe!", calling for the opening of immediate negotiations for EU membership, was rejected on March 4 , 2001 . The Swiss Federal Council (which is in favour of EU membership) had advised the population to vote against this referendum since the preconditions for the opening of negotiations had not been met. It is thought that the fear of a loss of Neutrality and independence is the key issue against membership among Eurosceptics . EU membership however continues to be the objective of the government and is a "long-term aim" of the Federal Council . The Swiss federal government policy has recently undergone substantial U-turns in policy, however, concerning specific agreements with the EU on freedom of movement for people, workers and areas concerning Tax Evasion have been addressed within the Swiss Banking system. This was a result of the first Switzerland-EU summit in May 2004 where nine bilateral agreements were signed. Romano Prodi , President of the European Commission, said the agreements "moved Switzerland closer to Europe." Joseph Deiss of the Swiss Federal Council said, "We might not be at the very centre of Europe but we're definitely at the heart of Europe". He continued, "We're beginning a new era of relations between our two entities." {Link without Title} . Norway See Also: Norway and the European Union Norway , one of the richest countries in the world, is like most other Scandinavia n states insofar as it is reluctant to surrender sovereignty to a Supranational entity. The Norwegian government also wishes to keep control of oil, gas and fishery resources in their territorial waters. Norway has applied four times for EEC and EU membership. In 1962 and 1967 France vetoed Norway's entry, while the later 1972 Referendum and the 1994 Referendum were both lost by the government. In late 2004, the now former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik suggested that the debate about joining the EU might be restarted in 2007. The 2005 constitution referenda in France and the Netherlands have however made this less likely, and in mid-October 2005, after the Elections , the new Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg stated that there wouldn't be a new attempt at EU membership under his government. Thorbjørn Jagland , President of the Parliament, has proposed that Norway and Iceland should prepare a common strategy before launching membership negotiations with the EU. His Icelandic counterpart has expressed agreement. Norway is also a member of the European Economic Area (the EU Common Market ), the Schengen Treaty and an associate member of the Western European Union as well as other areas normally considered as under the EU umbrella of treaties and agreements. Norway is also a long term NATO member since 1947.
Iceland See Also: Iceland and the European Union Iceland has never applied for EU membership but is already associated with the union through the EEA where it has access to the Single Market . Iceland is also a member of the Schengen Treaty . Fear of losing control over the fishery resources in its territorial waters is the single largest issue keeping Iceland reluctant to join the EU, also a large issue for Norway. Since these two countries have so much in common it is generally expected that they would join together as it would not be easy for Iceland to be the only Nordic Country to remain outside the EU. The government has established a committee to look into ways to protect fishing privileges in case of an EU accession. Application for EU membership is not on the current centre-right government's agenda and none of the Political Parties have explicitly expressed that Iceland should join the union. The Left-Green Movement has been firmly opposed to membership and the same goes for the conservative Independence Party , a member of the ruling coalition, although its chairman Davíð Oddsson indicated in a speech in January 2005 that a policy change was not ruled out depending on how the EU will evolve in coming years. Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson of the Progressive Party has predicted that Iceland will join the EU by 2015, and said that the decisive factor for Iceland would be the future and the size of the Eurozone . He admitted however that the right political situation doesn't exist At The Moment to take a decision on the issue. {Link without Title} Liechtenstein Liechtenstein is, like Norway and Iceland, a member of the European Economic Area . It might consider joining the EU if Switzerland joins. If it attained membership it would be by far the smallest member state of the European Union — this might require a significant rearrangement of voting arrangements in the European Parliament . Eastern Europe Belarus , Moldova , and Ukraine , which are or have been closely linked to Russia , will probably remain outside the Union, at least for a significant amount of time. They are not currently on any enlargement agenda as the Union is currently focused on the Balkan states and Turkey. A summit in Mamaia , Eastern Romania, in May 2004 has shown enlargement to Eastern Europe to be a definite possibility, though only Ukraine and Moldova were present, as Belarus is currently not concerned with membership. Ukraine Most political factions of Ukraine advocate joining the EU and developing ties with Europe. However some in the EU are more doubtful concerning Ukraine's prospects. In 2002, EU Expansion Commissioner Günter Verheugen said that "a European perspective" for Ukraine does not necessarily mean membership in 10 or 20 years, however, that does not mean it is not a possibility. A Ukraine-EU Troika meeting in April 2004, on the eve of the newest wave of expansion, dealt a blow to Ukraine's European aspiration when the EU ministers failed to grant Market Economy status to Ukraine but all this happened before the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. For the time being, Ukraine will most likely develop intermediate relation with the EU as it is strongly backed by all major political forces in Poland, an EU member with strong historical ties with Ukraine (through the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ). The " {Link without Title} On January 13, 2005 the European Parliament almost unanimously (467 votes to 19 in favour) passed a Motion stating the wish of the European Parliament to establish closer ties with Ukraine with the possibility of EU membership. Though there is still a long way to go before negotiations about EU membership can start, the European Commission has stated that future EU membership will not be ruled out. Yushchenko has responded to the apathetic mood of the Commission by stating that he intends to send an application for EU membership "in the near future" and that he intends to scrutinise Ukraine's relationship with the CIS in order to assure EU integration is possible and if not to make it possible. Several EU leaders have already stated strong support for closer economic ties with Ukraine but have stopped short of direct support for such a bid. On 21 March 2005, Polish Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld noted that Poland will in every way promote Ukraine's desire to be integrated with the EU, get the status of a market-economy country and join the WTO. He also said "At the present moment, we should talk concrete steps in cooperation instead of engaging in empty talk about European integration". Three days later, a poll of the six largest EU nations conducted by a French research company showed that the European public would be more likely to accept Ukraine as a future EU member than any other country. In October, 2005 Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said that the future of Ukraine is ''in'' the EU. On November 9, 2005, however, the European Commission has in a new strategy paper suggested that the current enlargement agenda (Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and in the future the other ex-Yugoslavian countries) could block the possibility of a future accession of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. Commissioner Olli Rehn said that the EU should avoid overstretch, adding that the current enlargement agenda is already very heavy. {Link without Title} Moldova Moldova currently has little hope of joining, since it is not only hampered by poverty but also facing political problems in Transnistria and only recently (1995) resolved problems in ethnically separate Gagauzia . Its relationship with Romania, which is set to soon become a EU member, has also been strained, with Moldova publicly accusing Romania in various aspects. The prospect of union with Romania is constantly an issue, even though many people are expecting this not to happen. If Romania joins the EU, and Moldova unifies with the country later, it could automatically become part of the EU just as East Germany joined the EU when it reunified with West Germany in 1990 . The government has stated that Moldova has European aspirations but there has been little progress. On May 1 , 2004 many EU enthusiasts waving the EU flags found their flags confiscated by police and some were arrested under the clause of "anti-nationalism." At present it remains the poorest country in Europe with rampant corruption and a sadly booming trade in people. On October 6 , 2005 the EU opened its permanent mission in Chişinău , the capital city of Moldova. Belarus The EU's relations with , short of Political Reunion . Recent accusations of unfair elections in March 2006 (where Lukashenko was re-elected) have further diminished the chances of Belarus joining. Russia Among the most vocal supporters of closer ties between Russia and the EU has been former Italian Prime Minister , 2005, he commented in regards to the prospect of such a membership "I am convinced that even if it is a dream ... it is not too distant a dream and I think it will happen one day". Berlusconi has made similar comments on other occasions as well. [http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901030707-461792,00.html At present, however, the prospect of has also said that though Russia must "find its place both in NATO, and, in the longer term, in the European Union, and if conditions are created for this to happen" that such a thing is not economically feasible in the near future. {Link without Title} The Kaliningrad Exclave is still an issue between the EU and Russia as well as the fact that Russia has not yet ratified border treaties with Latvia and Estonia . Kazakhstan Kazakhstan which has a Portion of its territory in Europe is considered a European nation by the Council Of Europe (as expressed in an official offer for full membership in 1999 ) but the subject of joining the EU has not been even remotely discussed. South Caucasus The three south Caucasus states of Georgia , Armenia , Azerbaijan have been the site of much conflict in 1990s . Currently, there seems to be an overwhelming feeling of hope in the region's future. Their EU membership would be conditional on the Political Assessment by the European Council about ''whether or not they are considered European''. Some of these states are located Partially In Europe and some of them are located entirely in Asia . Nevertheless all three states are admitted as full members into the Council Of Europe (like Cyprus ) after similar assessment process. They have contributed to European culture and the EU has been said to express interest in their integration and the hope to end war in Europe and increase prosperity. Before the first official visit of External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner to the three caucasus states, it was stated that if she were asked about enlargement, she would not rule it out. {Link without Title} The Caucasus states are, however, closely linked with Russia and would need to concentrate more on their European partners to attain candidate membership. It is unclear as to when they may join but they are part of the European Neighbourhood Policy and are often referred to as part of "a wider Europe". Since their only land contact with existing EU states is through either Russia or Turkey, it is possible that they could only join after Turkey did so. Greece, a member since 1981 , has no land links with the rest of the EU, and will not until both Romania and Bulgaria have joined, though Greece is considerably closer to the rest of the union and unencumbered by powerful neighbours like Russia in between. Armenia Several , has said he will keep Armenia tied to Russia and the CSTO , becoming partners, not members of the EU and NATO . {Link without Title} Public opinion in Armenia suggests the move for membership would be welcomed, with 64% out of a sample of 2000 being in favour, with only 11.8% being against. {Link without Title} Armenia is still in conflict over the disputed area Nagorno-Karabakh with neighbouring Azerbaijan . A ten year ceasefire has been in place, but tensions remain high. The country's economy is growing very slowly and foreign investors are said to be extremely wary. The Metsamor nuclear power plant, which is sited some 40km west of the Armenian capital Yerevan , is built on top of one of the world's most active seismic zones and so would have to be closed for any contemplation of their joining. Recently Armenia has told the EU they will not close the plant, which has led to the freezing of €100m worth of aid by the EU and deterioration of the Armenia-EU relationship. Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , a predominantly Muslim country, would need to resolve the conflict over the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh . Its military spending is becoming somewhat of an alarm to the EU, which wishes to ease tensions in the area. The oil-rich country has made improvements to its infrastructure but much of the money does not seem to find its way into its fragile economy. The recent presidential elections in Azerbaijan were disputed by the opposition and have been criticised for being not entirely democratic, free or fair by international observers. This is one of the main obstacles ahead of a possible EU application from Azerbaijan, although it has not expressed wishes to join the EU but, if it did, one can assume that integration would be long delayed. It would most likely face difficulties similar to Turkey's. Azerbaijan's chances of membership would, however, be greatly increased if Georgia joined first. Georgia Georgia has recently undergone substantial reforms. Under Georgia's new president Mikhail Saakashvili , the wish to join the EU has been explicitly expressed on several occasions and the links to the EU and the USA are being strengthened. Disputes continue over South Ossetia and Abkhazia . In Ajaria , the authoritarian leader Aslan Abashidze was forced to resign in May 2004. Georgia is the most favoured Caucasus country to join the EU, but territorial disputes and corruption are still an issue. It has not, as yet, applied for EU membership, but the President has said the country would be ready in three years' time—however, it is uncertain if the EU would be. It is debatable whether any estimate on a membership date can be made at this stage. Microstates As for the very small is also unlikely to join the EU due to its unique status in the European continent as a Theocracy . Despite the fact that Europe's microstates will probably remain politically separated from the EU for the foreseeable future, their economies have always been tightly related with their neighbours, and all of the microstates (save Liechtenstein , which uses the Swiss Franc ), use the Euro currency (San Marino, Monaco and Vatican City mint their own Euro coins as well). Dependencies of EU member states There are multiple Special Member State Territories , some of them are not fully covered by the EU treaties and apply EU law only partially, if at all. See also the Territories Not Covered By The Schengen Treaty . It is possible for a dependency to change its status regarding the EU and/or some particular treaty or law provision. The territory may change its status from participation to leaving or from being outside to joining. Greenland Denmark 's Greenland is a well-known example for a member state special territory that changed its status in regard to coverage of EU treaties and laws. After the establishment of Greenland's Home Rule in 1979 (effective from 1980 ), a second referendum on membership was held, where the people decided to leave the community. On February 1 , 1985 , Greenland left the EEC and EURATOM . Danish nationals residing in Greenland (i.e. all native population) are nonetheless fully European citizens; they are not, however, entitled to vote in European elections. Non-European states In the Treaty Of Maastricht (Article 49), it is stated that any '' European country (as defined by the EU Political Assessment )'' that respects the principles of the European Union may apply to join. No mention is made of enlarging the EU to include non-European countries, but the precedents of turning down Morocco 's application and speaking about Israel 's closest integration, "just short of full membership" suggests that currently it is impossible for non-European states to get full EU membership. However, some non-European states have different degrees of integration with the EU stipulated by agreements, always short of membership. The current frameworks for development of such agreements are the Barcelona Process and the European Neighbourhood Policy . Morocco Morocco has submitted application to join the EU (then EEC ) in July 1987 , but it has been turned down by the Council later in the year. The application was rejected on the grounds that it ''did not consider Morocco a European country''. Other factors such as the developing economy or unresolved border issues with several of its neighbours and the occupation of Western Sahara are hindering even adoption of other policies like those applied to Tunisia . Cape Verde Cape Verde is an Island Nation of the Atlantic Ocean and former Portuguese colony. In March 2005 , former Portuguese president Mário Soares launched a petition urging the European Union to start membership talks with it, saying that Cape Verde could act as a bridge between Africa , Latin America and the EU {Link without Title} . Cape Verde has a culture based on Christian values where about 97% of the population is Christian, and its background is a harmonious fusion between European and African backgrounds, where most of the population (about 80%) is mixed Portuguese and African, less than 20% is African, while about 1% is of (unmixed) European descent. Because of this Cape Verdeans find it hard to define themselves as either Europeans or Africans. They regard themselves as either ''both'' or as ''unique'' (i.e. they regard themselves as ''Cape Verdeans'' and not as Africans and/or Europeans). Cape Verde's GDP Per Capita Based On PPP is in the same range as current EU candidates and potential candidates (between Macedonia and Bosnia-Hercegovina). Freedom of speech is at the same level as in any EU country. Democracy is very well implemented and there is alternation of parties in the government. Illiteracy is low when compared with Africa, about 20%. Most of the exports and imports of Cape Verde are for and from the European Union, and the economy is based on services with its currency, the Escudo , pegged to the Euro . Although the Cape Verde archipelago is geographically African, there have been similar situations before: Cyprus is an island state which despite being geographically Asian has already joined the Council of Europe and the EU. Furthermore, the Cape Verde Islands are part of the same island group as the Canary Islands (part of Spain) and Madeira Islands (part of Portugal), known as Macaronesia . Despite all this there is currently no political recognition by the EU of ''Cape Verde as a European state'' (but unlike in the case of Morocco there is no formal rejection either). Cape Verde is currently a member of ECOWAS (albeit not yet participating in all of its activities) — an African Regional Bloc with aims for internal integration similar to those of the EU, so that membership in both organizations at the same time is impossible. Israel The Israeli government has hinted several times that a EU membership bid is a possibility, but the EU itself proposes instead a closest possible integration, "just short of full membership". Faster advancement of such plans is somewhat hampered by the current instability in the Middle East. Much international criticism of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories also comes from European capitals and the occupation would certainly not pass European human rights standards; general public opinion of Israel is also particularly poor within the EU. The European Council has not been asked to take a stance regarding ''whether or not Israel is an European state'', but similar circumstances to Morocco (being geographically outside Europe and without exceptional features such as CoE Membership ) will most likely preclude its inclusion as a full member into the EU as well. However it can obtain a large degree of integration through the current and future EU Neighbourhood Policies — the Spanish foreign minister Moratinos spoke out for a "privileged partnership, offering all the benefits of EU membership, without participation in the institutions"). On 11 January 2005 , industry commissioner and vice president of the commission Günter Verheugen even suggested the possibility of a Monetary Union and Common Market with Israel. An argument for the inclusion of Israel into the EU as a full member is that it has a mostly European (or perhaps Europeanised) culture and thus forms an exclave in a huge Arab area. Israel also has a GDP per capita similar to many European countries. Allowing Israel into the EU would, however, create a precedent for other non-European countries to apply for membership, which most Europeans find rather undesirable. How Israel's Law Of Return would interact with the free migration of citizens within Europe is also an unresolved issue. NOTES According to the official website of the European Commission , the signature of the Accession Treaty of Romania and Bulgaria ''"marks the completion of the fifth enlargement of the EU"''. Consequently, the enlargement in 2004 was only the first part of the ''Fifth Enlargement''. SEE ALSO
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