Pre-2007 EU-25 in green and the members who joined in 2007 in blue.

History of the European Union
This article is part of a series
Timeline Pre-1945 ideas 1945–1957 1958–1972 1973–1993 1993–2004 2004–present
Organisation European Communities (1958-2009) European Coal and Steel Community (1952-2002) European Economic Community (1958-1993) European Atomic Energy Community (1958-present) European Community (1993-2009) Justice and Home Affairs (1993-2003) Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (2003-2009) Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar (1993-2009) Western European Union (1954-2010)
Treaties Treaty of Paris Treaty of Rome Merger Treaty Single European Act Treaty of Maastricht Treaty of Amsterdam Treaty of Nice Treaty of Lisbon
Commissions Hallstein Commission 1958 Rey Commission 1967 Malfatti Commission 1970 Mansholt Commission 1972 Ortoli Commission 1973 Jenkins Commission 1977 Thorn Commission 1981 Delors Commission 1985 Santer Commission 1994 Prodi Commission 1999 Barroso Commission 2004
Topics History of Europe History of the euro History of enlargement (1995 - 2004 - 2007) List of presidents
European Union Portal v t e

The 2007 enlargement of the European Union saw Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union (EU) on 1 January 2007. It was the latest expansion of the EU, though considered by the European Commission as part of the same wave (the fifth) as the 2004 enlargement.^[1]

Negotiations[link]

Romania was the first country of post-communist Europe to have official relations with the European Community. In 1974, a treaty included Romania in the Community's Generalized System of Preferences. Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989, European Union (EU) membership has been the main goal of every Romanian Government and practically every Politics of Romania|political party in Romania]]. Romania signed its Europe Agreement in 1993,^[2] and submitted its official application for membership in the EU in 1995, the third of the post–communist European countries to do so after Hungary and Poland. Along with its official EU application, Romania submitted the “Snagov Declaration”, signed by all fourteen major political parties declaring their full support for EU membership.^[3]

During the 2000s, Romania implemented a number of reforms to prepare for EU accession, including the consolidation of its democratic systems, the institution of the rule of law, the acknowledgement of respect for human rights, the commitment to personal freedom of expression, and the implementation of a functioning free-market economy. The objective of joining the EU has also influenced Romania's regional relations. As a result, Romania has imposed visa regimes on a number of states, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and Moldova.

Within the framework of integration meetings held between the EU member states and Bulgaria, an '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 political corruption and organized crime, including human trafficking. There was also, according to the report, limited progress regarding the integration of the Roma community. The findings were reflected in the 2004 Regular Report.

The Brussels European Council of December 17 2004 confirmed the conclusion of accession negotiations with Bulgaria. The 26 September 2006 monitoring report of the European Commission confirmed the date once more, also announcing that Bulgaria and Romania would meet no direct restrictions, but progress in certain areas — reforms of the judicial system, elimination of corruption and the struggle against organized crime — would be strictly monitored.

Cyrillic[link]

With this accession, Cyrillic became the third official alphabet of the EU, after the Latin and Greek alphabets. Cyrillic will also be featured on the euro banknotes and the national (obverse) side of the Bulgarian euro coins. The ECB and the EU Commission insisted that Bulgaria change the official name of the currency from ЕВРО (as accepted) to ЕУРО, claiming that the currency should have a standard spelling and pronunciation across the EU.^[4] For details, see Linguistic issues concerning the euro. The issue was decisively resolved in favour of Bulgaria at the 2007 EU Summit in Lisbon, allowing Bulgaria to use the Cyrillic spelling евро on all official EU documents.^[5][6]

Treaty[link]

The date of accession, 1 January 2007, was set at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003 and confirmed in Brussels on 18 June 2004. Bulgaria, Romania and the EU-25 signed the Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005 at Luxembourg's Neumuenster Abbey.

The 26 September 2006 monitoring report^[7] of the European Commission confirmed the entry date as 1 January 2007. The last instrument of ratification of the Treaty of Accession was deposited with the Italian government on 20 December 2006 thereby ensuring it came into force on 1 January 2007.

Work restrictions[link]

Labor market limits imposed on Bulgarian and Romanian citizens:

  No restrictions on getting work

  Partial to full restrictions on getting work still maintained

Some member states of the EU require Bulgarians and Romanians to acquire a permit to work, whilst members of all other member states do not require one. Currently, 16 member states allow Bulgarians and Romanians to work without a permit. Currently only 9 countries keep the restrictions, which include Germany, Austria, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malta, United Kingdom and Ireland. Restrictions may remain in place until 1 January 2014 – 7 years after their accession.^[8][9]

Monitoring[link]

While both countries were admitted, concerns about corruption and organised crime were still high. As a result, although they joined, they were subject to monitoring from the Commission through a Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) . It was initially set up for three years but has continued indefinitely and although it has highlighted the corruption and applied some pressure to continue reforms, it has not succeeded in forcing the two countries to complete reforms and corruption persists.^[10][11]

Commissioners[link]

The accession treaty granted Bulgaria and Romania a seat, like every other state, on the Commission. Bulgaria nominated Meglena Kuneva, from NDSV who was given the post of Commissioner for Consumer Protection in the Barroso Commission, from 1 January 2007 until 31 October 2009. She was nominated in 2006 by the then current Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev. Romania nominated Leonard Orban, an independent, who was made Commissioner for Multilingualism in the Barroso Commission, from 1 January 2007 until 31 October 2009. He was nominated in 2006 by the previous Romanian Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu. Both were approved by Parliament to become Commissioners upon accession.

MEPs[link]

Upon accession Bulgaria's 18 and Romania's 35 observer MEPs became full voting representatives until each state held an election for the posts, which were mandated to happen before the end of the year. Bulgaria held its election on 20 May 2007 and Romania on the 25 November 2007.

See also[link]

• Treaty of Accession 2005
• 6th European Parliament
• Enlargement of the European Union
• Future enlargement of the European Union
• Statistics relating to enlargement of the European Union
• 1995 enlargement of the European Union
• 2004 enlargement of the European Union

References[link]

v t e Enlargement and partners of the European Union Previous enlargements 1973 1981 1986 1995 2004 2007 Statistics Acceding Croatia (status) Candidates Iceland (status) Macedonia (status) Montenegro (status) Serbia (status) Turkey (status) Applied Albania (status) Potential Candidates Bosnia and Herzegovina (status) Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244) (relations) Partnerships Eastern Partnership Armenia (relations) Azerbaijan (relations) Belarus (relations) Georgia (relations) Moldova (relations) Ukraine (relations) Northern Dimension Russia (relations) Norway (relations) Union for the Mediterranean Algeria Egypt Israel (relations) Jordan (relations) Lebanon (relations) Mauritania Monaco Morocco (relations) Palestine Syria Tunisia Current membership Criteria Withdrawal

v t e European Union topics History Timeline Pre-1945 1945–1957 1958–1972 1973–1993 1993–2004 since 2004 Predecessors European Coal and Steel Community (1951–2002) European Economic Community (1958–1993/2009) Euratom (1958–present) European Communities (1967–1993/2009) Justice and Home Affairs (1993–2009) Details Governance Institutions Parliament European Council Council of Ministers Commission European Court of Justice Central Bank Court of Auditors Agencies European Banking Authority Eurojust Europol Frontex Environment Reconstruction Disease Prevention and Control External Action Service Maritime Safety Politics Elections European Parliament constituencies European Parliament groups Political parties Enlargement ('95 '04 '07) Integration Pro-Europeanism Euroscepticism Foreign relations Euromyth Law Acquis Competition law Copyright law Directive Journal Government procurement Four freedoms (Labour mobility) Procedure Regulation Schengen Agreement Charter of Fundamental Rights Treaties (Opt-outs) Enhanced co-operation Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification Geography Borders Extreme points Largest municipalities Largest urban areas Largest metropolitan areas Larger Urban Zones Member States Special territories Regions Economy Currencies Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Common Fisheries Policy Budget Euro Central Bank Investment Bank Investment Fund Eurozone Energy Regional development Single Market FTAs Solidarity Fund Transport (Galileo system) Culture Citizenship (Passports) Demographics Driving licence Education Institute of Innovation and Technology Laissez-Passer Languages Religion Sport Holidays Telephone numbers Symbols Statistics Douzelage Lists Agencies Councils Directives Political parties Presidency Tallest buildings Vehicle registration plates Acronyms, jargon and working practices Theory Supranationalism Intergovernmentalism Supranational union Multi-speed Europe Eurosphere Optimum currency area Portal

The territories of the member states of the European Union (European Communities pre-1993), animated in order of accession. Territories outside of the European neighbourhood not shown.

The Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU) through the accession of new member states. This process began with the Inner Six, who founded the European Coal and Steel Community (the EU's predecessor) in 1952. Since then, the EU's membership has grown to twenty-seven with the most recent expansion to Bulgaria and Romania in 2007. A scheduled expansion in 2013 will add Croatia to the union.

Currently, accession negotiations are under way with several states. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. However, 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.

To join the European Union, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria (after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993), which require a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement.

Criteria[link]

European Union

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the European Union

European Parliament President Martin Schulz Largest groups; Joseph Daul: EPP María Badía (Interim): S&D 7th session MEPs (736) 2009-14 term Bureau Vice Presidents Quaestor Conference Legislative procedure

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy Parties List of meetings

Council of the EU Presidency Denmark Configurations General Foreign Economic Euro Legislative procedure Voting Secretariat Secretary-General Uwe Corsepius COREPER

European Commission Barroso Comm. President José M. Barroso Vice Presidents Catherine Ashton Viviane Reding Joaquín Almunia Siim Kallas Neelie Kroes Antonio Tajani Maroš Šefčovič Commissioners Civil Service Secretary-General Catherine Day

Court of Justice Court of Justice General Court Civil Service Tribunal Members Rulings

Other institutions Central Bank President ESCB Euro EMU Eurozone Court of Auditors Budget OLAF Investment Bank CoR EESC Ombudsman Other bodies Agencies National parliaments

Policies and issues Budget Four Freedoms Economic area Single market Area of FS&J Schengen Policies Agricultural Energy Fisheries Regional Citizenship Identity Pro-Europeanism Euroscepticism Integration Supranationalism Federalism U.S.E. Multi-speed Opt-outs Enhanced co-op Withdrawal

Foreign relations High Representative Catherine Ashton Ext. Action Service Foreign Policy Defence Policy Enlargement

Elections 1979, 1984, 1989 1994, 1999, 2004 2009 (last election) 2014 (next election) Political parties Constituencies Referendums

Law Acquis Primacy Subsidiarity Treaties Fundamental Rights Membership v t e

According to the EU treaties, membership of the European Union is open to "any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them" (TEU Article 49). 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." This is based on the 1993 "Copenhagen criteria" agreed as it became clear many former Eastern Bloc countries would apply to join;

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.

Finally, and technically outside the Copenhagen criteria, comes the further requirement that all prospective members must enact legislation in order 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.

Process[link]

Today the accession process follows a series of formal steps, from a pre-accession agreement to the ratification of the final accession treaty. These steps are primarily presided over by the European Commission (Enlargement Commissioner and DG Enlargement), but the actual negotiations are technically conducted between the Union's Member States and the candidate country.

Before a country applies for membership it typically signs an association agreement to help prepare the country for candidacy and eventual membership. Most countries do not meet the criteria to even begin negotiations before they apply, so they need many years to prepare for the process. An association agreement helps prepare for this first step.

In the case of the Western Balkans, a special process, the Stabilisation and Association Process exists to deal with the special circumstances there.

When a country formally applies for membership, the Council asks the Commission to prepare an opinion on the country's readiness to begin negotiations. 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).^[2]

If the Council agrees to open negotiations the screening process then begins. The Commission and candidate country examine its laws and those of the EU and determine what differences exist. The Council then recommends opening negotiations on "chapters" of law that it feels there is sufficient common ground to have constructive negotiations. Negotiations are typically a matter of the candidate country convincing the EU that its laws and administrative capacity are sufficient to execute European law, which can be implemented as seen fit by the member states. Often this will involve time-lines before the Acquis Communautaire (European regulations, directives & standards) has to be fully implemented.

Population and GDP per capita of individual EU member states compared with those of non-member states in Europe.

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.

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. These serve as a basis for the Council to make decisions on negotiations or their extension to other candidates.

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. Once this has been completed it will join the Union on the date specified in the treaty.

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).

Example[link]

The following is an example of an accession process. This follows Estonia's journey to membership, as a recent example from the 2004 enlargement, however the speed of accession depends on each state: how integrated it is with the EU before hand, 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. This outline also includes integration steps taken by the accession country after it attains membership.

Success and fatigue[link]

Enlargement has been one of the EU's most successful foreign policies,^[5] yet has equally suffered from considerable opposition from the start. French President Charles de Gaulle opposed British membership fearing US influence^{[citation needed]}. A later French President François Mitterrand opposed Greek, Spanish and Portuguese membership fearing they were not ready and it would reduce the union to a free trade area.^[6]

The reasons for the first member states to apply, and for them to be accepted, were primarily economic while the second enlargement was more political. 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.^[7] These two principal forces, economic gain and political security, have been behind enlargements since. However, with the recent large enlargements in 2004, public opinion in Europe has turned against further expansion.^[6]

It has also been acknowledged that enlargement has its limits, the EU cannot expand endlessly.^[5] Former Commission President Romano Prodi favoured granting "everything but institutions" to the EU's neighbour states; allowing them to co-operate deeply while not adding strain on the EU's institutional framework.^[5] 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.^[8][9]

Historical enlargements[link]

Founding members[link]

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was proposed by Robert Schuman in his declaration on 9 May 1950 and involved the pooling of the coal and steel industries of France and West Germany. Half of the project states, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, had already achieved a great degree of integration between themselves with the organs of Benelux and earlier bilateral agreements. These five countries were joined by Italy and they all signed the Treaty of Paris on 23 July 1952. These six members, dubbed the 'inner six' (as opposed to the 'outer seven' who formed the European Free Trade Association who were suspicious of such plans for integration) went on to sign the Treaties of Rome establishing two further communities, together known as the European Communities when they merged their executives in 1967.

The Community did see some loss of territory due to the decolonialisation occurring in their era. Algeria, which was an integral part of France, had a special relationship with the Community.^[16] Algeria gained independence on 5 July 1962 and hence left the Community. There was no enlargement until the 1970s.

First enlargement[link]

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. The UK and US were concerned about France attempting to usurp US leadership in Europe and the US encouraged the UK to join in order to counterbalance French influence. Other EEC members were also inclined to British membership on those grounds. French President Charles de Gaulle feared Britain's US influence and vetoed British membership.^[7]

Once de Gaulle had left office, the door to enlargement was once again opened. The EEC economy had also slowed down and British membership was seen as a way to revitalise the community.^[7] 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.^[17] 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."^[17]

As part of the deal for British entry, France agreed to allow the EEC its own monetary resources. 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.^[7] Applying together with the UK, as on the previous occasions, were Denmark, Ireland, and Norway.^[18] These countries were so economically linked to the UK that they considered it necessary to join EEC if the UK did.^[7] However the Norwegian government lost a national referendum on membership and hence did not accede with the others on 1 January 1973. Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, did not join the Community with the United Kingdom at this point, which led to further discussion with Spain about the international status of Gibraltar.

Mediterranean enlargements[link]

The next enlargement would occur for different reasons. The 1970s also saw Greece, Spain, and Portugal emerge from dictatorship. These countries desired to consolidate their new democratic systems by binding themselves into the EEC. Equally, the EEC was unsure about which way these countries were heading and wanted to ensure stability along its southern borders.^[7] However François Mitterrand initially opposed their membership fearing they were not ready and it would water the community down to a free trade area.^[6]

Greece joined the EU in 1981 and the two Iberian countries in 1986.

The year 1985, however, saw the only time a territory had 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).

Morocco and Turkey applied for membership in 1987. 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. Turkey received candidate status only in 1999 and began official membership negotiations in 2004. Currently, 11 of the 35 chapters have been opened with Turkey (with 1 already closed)^[19]

Post–Cold War[link]

The Iron Curtain's fall enabled eastward enlargement. (Berlin Wall)

After the 1970s Europe experienced a downturn which led to leaders launching of the Single European Act which set to create a single market by 1992. 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. EFTA states began to discuss closer links with the EEC despite its domestic unpopularity.^[20] Combined with this 1989 removed another major obstacle to the membership of EFTA countries in the EEC. Austria, Finland and Sweden were neutral in the Cold War so membership of an organisation developing a common foreign and security policy would be incompatible with that. As that obstacle was removed, the desire to pursue membership grew stronger.^[20] The end of the Cold War also saw, on 3 October 1990, the reunification of East and West Germany. Hence East Germany became part of the Community in the new reunified Germany (not increasing the number of states).

The Community later became the European Union in 1993 by virtue of the Maastricht Treaty and established standards for new entrants so their suitability could be judged. These 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. Also in 1993 the European Economic Area was established with the EFTA states except Switzerland. 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 EU has also preferred these states to integrate via the EEA rather than full membership as the EEC wished to pursue monetary integration and did not wish for another round of enlargement to occupy their attention. However with the EEA's credibility dented following rejection by businesses and Switzerland, the EU agreed with full membership. This was more readily accepted with the prospect of poorer eastern European countries wishing to join; contributions from richer countries would help balance the EU budget.^[20] On 1 January 1995 Austria, Finland, and Sweden acceded to the EU marking its fourth enlargement. The Norwegian government lost a second national referendum on membership.

Eastern enlargements[link]

EU's enlargements in the 2000s:

  European Union pre-2004

  Joined the EU in 2004

  Joined the EU in 2007

As with the Mediterranean countries in the 1980s, the former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe had just emerged from dictatorship and wanted to consolidate their new democracies. They also wanted to join the project of European integration and ensure they did not fall back into the Russian sphere of influence. The EU, and NATO, offered a guarantee of this and the EU was also seen as vital to ensuring the economic success of those countries. The EU's desire to accept these countries' membership applications was however less than rapid. The collapse of communism came quickly and was not anticipated. 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.^[21]

The former communist states persisted and eventually the above mentioned issues were cleared. The US also pressured the EU to offer membership as a temporary guarantee; it feared expanding NATO too rapidly for fear of frightening Russia. 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 from Cyprus and Malta helped to offset slightly the influx of large poorer member states from Central and Eastern Europe.^[21]

In the end, eight Central and Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia), plus two Mediterranean countries (Malta and Cyprus) were able to join on 1 May 2004. This was the largest single enlargement in terms of people, and number of countries, though not in terms of GDP.^[22] The less developed nature of these countries was of concern to some of the older member states, who placed temporary restrictions on the rights of work of the citizens of these new eastern states to their countries. The movement westward of some of the labour force of the newly acceded countries that occurred in the aftermath of the enlargement initially spawned clichés among the public opinion and media of some western countries (such as the "Polish plumber"), despite the generally conceded benefit to the economies concerned.^[23] The official EU media (the speeches of the European Commission) frequently referred to the enlargement to the CEE region as "an historical opportunity" and "morally imperative", which reflected the desire of the EU to admit these countries as members, even though they were less developed than the Western European countries.^[24] Following this Romania and Bulgaria, though were deemed initially as not fully ready by the Commission to join in 2004, acceded nevertheless on 1 January 2007. These, like the countries joining in 2004, faced a series of restrictions as to their citizens not fully enjoying working rights on the territory of some of the older EU members for a period up to seven years of their membership.

Western Balkans enlargements[link]

The 2003 European Council summit in Thessaloniki set integration of the Western Balkans as a priority of EU expansion. The EU's relations with the Western Balkans states were moved from the "External Relations" to the "Enlargement" policy segment in 2005. Those states which have not been recognised as candidate countries are considered "potential candidate countries".^[25] The move to Enlargement directorate was a consequence of the advancement of the Stabilisation and Association process.

Albania and the several successor states of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have all adopted EU integration as an aim of foreign policy. Slovenia joined the EU during the first wave of the fifth enlargement on 1 May 2004. Croatia is expected to join in 2013 after completing accession talks, pending approval from all other EU countries.

Detail[link]

Timeline[link]

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                     color:negotiations  from:31/10/1998  till:30/04/2004
                                         at:01/11/1996                     shift:( 02,-5)  text:froz.  textcolor:black
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Sweden          color:negotiations  from:01/07/1991  till:31/12/1994  shift:(-43,-5)  text:Sweden
                     color:membership    from:01/01/1995  till:end
 bar:Finland         color:negotiations  from:18/03/1992  till:31/12/1994  shift:(-41,-5)  text:Finland
                     color:membership    from:01/01/1995  till:end
 bar:Switzerland     color:negotiations  from:25/05/1992  till:06/12/1992  shift:(-59,-5)  text:Switzerland
                                         at:06/12/1992                     shift:( 05,-5)  text:frozen  textcolor:black
 bar:Hungary         color:negotiations  from:31/03/1994  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-46,-5)  text:Hungary
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Poland          color:negotiations  from:05/04/1994  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-39,-5)  text:Poland
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Romania         color:negotiations  from:22/06/1995  till:31/12/2006  shift:(-46,-5)  text:Romania
                     color:membership    from:01/01/2007  till:end
 bar:Slovakia        color:negotiations  from:27/06/1995  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-44,-5)  text:Slovakia
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Latvia          color:negotiations  from:13/10/1995  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-33,-5)  text:Latvia
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Estonia         color:negotiations  from:24/11/1995  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-40,-5)  text:Estonia
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Lithuania       color:negotiations  from:08/12/1995  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-49,-5)  text:Lithuania
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Bulgaria        color:negotiations  from:14/12/1995  till:31/12/2006  shift:(-44,-5)  text:Bulgaria
                     color:membership    from:01/01/2007  till:end
 bar:Czech_Republic  color:negotiations  from:17/01/1996  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-77,-5)  text:Czech Republic
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Slovenia        color:negotiations  from:10/06/1996  till:30/04/2004  shift:(-44,-5)  text:Slovenia
                     color:membership    from:01/05/2004  till:end
 bar:Croatia         color:negotiations  from:21/02/2003  till:end         shift:(-38,-5)  text:Croatia
                                         at:03/10/2005                     shift:(-05,-5)  text:acceding  textcolor:darkblue
 bar:FYROM           color:negotiations  from:22/03/2004  till:end         shift:(-59,-5)  text:Macedonia
 bar:Montenegro      color:negotiations  from:15/12/2008  till:end         shift:(-59,-5)  text:Montenegro
 bar:Albania         color:negotiations  from:28/04/2009  till:end         shift:(-38,-5)  text:Albania
 bar:Iceland         color:negotiations  from:17/07/2009  till:end         shift:(-38,-5)  text:Iceland
                                         at:27/07/2010                      shift:(-13,-5)  text:negot.  textcolor:redorange
 bar:Serbia          color:negotiations  from:22/12/2009  till:end         shift:(-38,-5)  text:Serbia

Future enlargement[link]

  Member states

  Acceding: Croatia

  Candidates: Iceland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey^[35]

  Application submitted: Albania

  Recognised by the EU as potential candidates which have not yet applied for membership: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (status disputed).^[36]

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. The Copenhagen European Council set out the conditions for EU membership in June 1993 in the so-called Copenhagen criteria (see Criteria and process above for details). The Western Balkan states had to sign Stabilisation and Association Agreements before either applying for membership and all except Kosovo^[37] have done so.

Croatia is an acceding country and is expected to become the 28th member of the EU on 1 July 2013. It signed its accession agreement on 9 December 2011.^[38] Iceland, Macedonia,^[11] Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are all official candidates. Albania applied for membership on April 2009 but has not yet been recognised as an official candidate. Bosnia and Herzegovina has concluded an association agreement and is preparing an application for EU membership. Both are classified as potential candidates for membership by the EU. The Western Balkans have been prioritised for membership since emerging from war during the breakup of Yugoslavia; Turkey has been seeking membership since the 1980s and Iceland has lodged its application since suffering economic collapse in 2008.

The EU may also acquire new outermost regions in 2015 due to the integration of three Caribbean islands into the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.

See also[link]

• Countries bordering the European Union
• Enlargement of the eurozone
• Enlargement of NATO
• Future enlargement of the European Union
• Treaty of Accession 2003
• Treaty of Accession 2005
• Treaty of Accession 2011
• Union for the Mediterranean
• Withdrawal from the European Union
• European Free Trade Association
• Switzerland and the European Union
• Schengen Area

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Enlargement of the European Union

• Enlargement – Europa
• European Union Member States and applicant countries – European NAvigator

v t e Enlargement and partners of the European Union Previous enlargements 1973 1981 1986 1995 2004 2007 Statistics Acceding Croatia (status) Candidates Iceland (status) Macedonia (status) Montenegro (status) Serbia (status) Turkey (status) Applied Albania (status) Potential Candidates Bosnia and Herzegovina (status) Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244) (relations) Partnerships Eastern Partnership Armenia (relations) Azerbaijan (relations) Belarus (relations) Georgia (relations) Moldova (relations) Ukraine (relations) Northern Dimension Russia (relations) Norway (relations) Union for the Mediterranean Algeria Egypt Israel (relations) Jordan (relations) Lebanon (relations) Mauritania Monaco Morocco (relations) Palestine Syria Tunisia Current membership Criteria Withdrawal

v t e European Union topics History Timeline Pre-1945 1945–1957 1958–1972 1973–1993 1993–2004 since 2004 Predecessors European Coal and Steel Community (1951–2002) European Economic Community (1958–1993/2009) Euratom (1958–present) European Communities (1967–1993/2009) Justice and Home Affairs (1993–2009) Details Governance Institutions Parliament European Council Council of Ministers Commission European Court of Justice Central Bank Court of Auditors Agencies European Banking Authority Eurojust Europol Frontex Environment Reconstruction Disease Prevention and Control External Action Service Maritime Safety Politics Elections European Parliament constituencies European Parliament groups Political parties Enlargement ('95 '04 '07) Integration Pro-Europeanism Euroscepticism Foreign relations Euromyth Law Acquis Competition law Copyright law Directive Journal Government procurement Four freedoms (Labour mobility) Procedure Regulation Schengen Agreement Charter of Fundamental Rights Treaties (Opt-outs) Enhanced co-operation Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification Geography Borders Extreme points Largest municipalities Largest urban areas Largest metropolitan areas Larger Urban Zones Member States Special territories Regions Economy Currencies Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Common Fisheries Policy Budget Euro Central Bank Investment Bank Investment Fund Eurozone Energy Regional development Single Market FTAs Solidarity Fund Transport (Galileo system) Culture Citizenship (Passports) Demographics Driving licence Education Institute of Innovation and Technology Laissez-Passer Languages Religion Sport Holidays Telephone numbers Symbols Statistics Douzelage Lists Agencies Councils Directives Political parties Presidency Tallest buildings Vehicle registration plates Acronyms, jargon and working practices Theory Supranationalism Intergovernmentalism Supranational union Multi-speed Europe Eurosphere Optimum currency area Portal

European Union Европейски съюз (Bulgarian) Evropská unie (Czech) Den Europæiske Union (Danish) Europese Unie (Dutch) Euroopa Liit (Estonian) Euroopan unioni (Finnish) Union européenne (French) Europäische Union (German) Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (Greek) Európai Unió (Hungarian) An tAontas Eorpach (Irish) Unione europea (Italian) Eiropas Savienība (Latvian) Europos Sąjunga (Lithuanian) Unjoni Ewropea (Maltese) Unia Europejska (Polish) União Europeia (Portuguese) Uniunea Europeană (Romanian) Európska únia (Slovak) Evropska unija (Slovene) Unión Europea (Spanish) Europeiska unionen (Swedish)
Flag
Motto: United in diversity[1][2][3]
Anthem: Ode to Joy Anthem of the European Union Ode to Joy[2] (orchestral)
Political centres		Brussels Luxembourg Strasbourg
Official languages		23 Bulgarian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French German Greek Hungarian Irish Italian Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Polish Portuguese Romanian Slovak Slovene Spanish Swedish
Demonym		European[4]
Member States		27  Austria  Belgium  Bulgaria  Cyprus  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Ireland  Italy  Latvia  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Malta  Netherlands  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Slovakia  Slovenia  Spain  Sweden  United Kingdom
Leaders
-	President of the European Council	Herman Van Rompuy
-	President of the European Commission	José Manuel Barroso
-	President of the European Parliament	Martin Schulz
-	Presidency of the Council of the European Union	Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Denmark)
-	High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy	Catherine Ashton
Legislature		Legislature of the EU
-	Upper house	Council of the EU
-	Lower house	European Parliament
Establishment
-	Treaty of Paris	23 July 1952
-	Treaty of Rome	1 January 1958
-	Maastricht Treaty	1 November 1993
-	Treaty of Lisbon	1 December 2009
Area
-	Total	4,324,782 km2 (7th¹) 1,669,807 sq mi
-	Water (%)	3.08
Population
-	2011 estimate	502,486,499 [5] (3rd¹)
-	Density	116.2/km2  300.9/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$15.821 trillion[6] (1st¹)
-	Per capita	$31,607[6] (15th¹)
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$17.577 trillion[6] (1st¹)
-	Per capita	$35,116[7] (14th¹)
Gini (2010)		30.4[8] (medium)
HDI (2011)		0.856[9] (very high) (14th¹)
Currency		Euro (€) (EUR) Used in the 17 countries of the eurozone and by the EU's institutions. The other member states and territories use other currencies.
Time zone		(UTC+0 to +2)
-	Summer (DST)	(UTC+1 to +3[a])
Internet TLD		.eu[b]
Website europa.eu
Calling code		See list
1	If considered as a single entity.
This box: view talk edit

The European Union (EU) ⁱ/ˌjʊrəˈpiːənˈjuːnjən/ is an economic and political union or confederation^[10][11] of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe.^[12] The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), formed by six countries in 1958. In the intervening years the EU has grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union under its current name in 1993.^[13] The latest amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.

The EU operates through a system of supranational independent institutions and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states.^[14][15][16] Important institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the Court of Justice of the European Union, and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by EU citizens.

The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states. Within the Schengen Area (which includes EU and non-EU states) passport controls have been abolished.^[17] EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital,^[18] enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade,^[19] agriculture,^[20] fisheries and regional development.^[21] A monetary union, the eurozone, was established in 1999 and, as of January 2012, is composed of 17 member states. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy the EU has developed a limited role in external relations and defence. Permanent diplomatic missions have been established around the world. The EU is represented at the United Nations, the WTO, the G8 and the G-20.

With a combined population of over 500 million inhabitants,^[22] or 7.3% of the world population,^[23] the EU generated a nominal GDP of 16.2 trillion US dollars in 2010, which represents an estimated 20% of the global GDP when measured in terms of purchasing power parity.^[24]

History[link]

After World War II, moves towards European integration were seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism which had devastated the continent.^[25] One such attempt to unite Europeans was the European Coal and Steel Community, which was declared to be "a first step in the federation of Europe", starting with the aim of eliminating the possibility of further wars between its member states by means of pooling the national heavy industries.^[26] The founding members of the Community were Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The originators and supporters of the Community include Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Paul-Henri Spaak, and Alcide De Gasperi.^[27]

In 1957, the six countries signed the Treaty of Rome, which extended the earlier cooperation within the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and created the European Economic Community, (EEC) establishing a customs union. They also signed another treaty on the same day creating the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear energy. Both treaties came into force in 1958.^[27]

The Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957 and came into force in 1958. It created the European Economic Community.

The EEC and Euratom were created separately from ECSC, although they shared the same courts and the Common Assembly. The executives of the new communities were called Commissions, as opposed to the "High Authority". The EEC was headed by Walter Hallstein (Hallstein Commission) and Euratom was headed by Louis Armand (Armand Commission) and then Étienne Hirsch. Euratom would integrate sectors in nuclear energy while the EEC would develop a customs union between members.^[28][29]

Throughout the 1960s tensions began to show with France seeking to limit supranational power. However, in 1965 an agreement was reached and hence in 1967 the Merger Treaty was signed in Brussels. It came into force on 1 July 1967 and created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities (EC), although commonly just as the European Community.^[30][31] Jean Rey presided over the first merged Commission (Rey Commission).^[32]

The Iron Curtain's fall in 1989 enabled eastward enlargement. (Berlin Wall)

In 1973 the Communities enlarged to include Denmark (including Greenland, which later left the Community in 1985), Ireland, and the United Kingdom.^[33] Norway had negotiated to join at the same time but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a referendum and so Norway remained outside. In 1979, the first direct, democratic elections to the European Parliament were held.^[34]

Greece joined in 1981, Portugal and Spain in 1986.^[35] In 1985, the Schengen Agreement led the way toward the creation of open borders without passport controls between most member states and some non-member states.^[36] In 1986, the European flag began to be used by the Community^[37] and the Single European Act was signed.

In 1990, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the former East Germany became part of the Community as part of a newly united Germany.^[38] With enlargement towards European formerly communist countries as well as Cyprus and Malta on the agenda, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed.

The introduction of the euro in 2002 replaced several national currencies.

The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993,^[13] and in 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the newly established EU. In 2002, euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. Since then, the eurozone has increased to encompass 17 countries. In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the Union.^[39]

On 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became the EU's members. In the same year Slovenia adopted the euro,^[39] followed in 2008 by Cyprus and Malta, by Slovakia in 2009 and by Estonia in 2011. In June 2009, the 2009 Parliament elections were held leading to a renewal of Barroso's Commission Presidency, and in July 2009 Iceland formally applied for EU membership.

On 1 December 2009, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force and reformed many aspects of the EU. In particular it changed the legal structure of the European Union, merging the EU three pillars system into a single legal entity provisioned with legal personality, and it created a permanent President of the European Council, the first of which is Herman Van Rompuy, and a strengthened High Representative, Catherine Ashton.^[40]

On 9 December 2011, Croatia signed the EU accession treaty.^[41] The EU accession referendum was held in Croatia on 22 January 2012, with the majority voting for Croatia's accession to the European Union making it the 28th member state as of July 2013.

Treaties[link]