{"id":229,"date":"2010-11-23T11:00:40","date_gmt":"2010-11-23T15:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/ces\/eulearning\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T12:04:17","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T16:04:17","slug":"briefing-european-union-enlargement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ces\/eulearning\/introduction\/what-is-the-eu\/briefing-european-union-enlargement\/","title":{"rendered":"Briefing: European Union Enlargement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Source: European Community, 2004<\/p><\/div>\n

Growth in the European Union<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its inception, the European Union has grown from 6 to 27 countries! What is required to join the EU and why would countries want to join? Take a look at the chart below to find out.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Joining the European Union<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1. Who can join the EU?<\/strong><\/td>\nCandidates<\/a> for joining the European Union must be states in “Europe.” This, of course, raises the question of where exactly Europe starts and ends. Turkey and Russia are considered by many people European countries, even though most of their physical territory lies within Asia. North African countries such as Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, which were once colonies of European countries, are not considered European. (In fact, one North African country even attempted to apply for European Union membership. Its application was rejected on the basis that it was not a European country.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2. What are the criteria for joining the EU?<\/strong><\/td>\nThe accession criteria are called the Copenhagen Criteria<\/a>. According to the Copenhagen Criteria, each candidate must:<\/p>\n
    \n
  • be a stable democracy that respects the rule of law, human rights, and the protection of minorities<\/li>\n
  • have a functioning market economy<\/li>\n
  • adopt the rules, policies and standards that make up EU law<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3. What must the EU do to ensure that it is capable of absorbing the new members?<\/strong><\/td>\nThe European Council’s<\/a> December 2000 Treaty of Nice<\/a> is an agreement that ensures the EU will be ready to welcome its new members. The Treaty of Nice involves changes to the decision-making process in the EU, such as:<\/p>\n
4. What are the advantages of EU enlargement for its members and for the rest of the world?<\/strong><\/td>\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Accession\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Accession<\/a> refers to the process of joining the European Union.<\/p>\n

In 1951, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands formed an economic entity which served as a precursor to the European Union. Since then, 22 countries have joined the European Union and many other countries continue to express interest.<\/p>\n

Below, you will find a timeline of European Union Enlargement. Visit the European Commision’s website for a history of the EU<\/a>, more information<\/a>, and an interactive timeline. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Member States<\/strong><\/td>\nAccession Information<\/strong><\/td>\nYear of Accession<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Belgium
\nFrance
\nGermany
\nItaly
\nLuxembourg
\nNetherlands<\/td>\n		\n1957<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Denmark
\nUnited Kingdom Ireland<\/td>\n		\n
    \n
  • The United Kingdom applied to join the European Communities in the 1960s, but was unsuccessful because France vetoed the United Kingdom’s accession<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Denmark was the first of the Nordic countries to join the European Communities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
1973<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Note: As of 2020, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Greece<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Together with Spain and Portugal, is part of the “Mediterranean Round” of enlargement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Had also recently disposed of an undemocratic government<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
1981<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spain
\nPortugal<\/td>\n		\n
    \n
  • Both of these member states, just shortly prior to accession, had undergone a process of democratization following periods of authoritarian rule<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
1986<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sweden
\nFinland
\nAustria<\/td>\n		\n
    \n
  • Referenda were held in each of these countries on accession to the European Union.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Norway was one of the candidate countries in this round of enlargement, but Norwegians voted no to accession in a nation-wide referendum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
1995<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cyprus
\nCzech Republic
\nEstonia
\nHungary
\nLatvia
\nLithuania
\nMalta
\nPoland
\nSlovakia
\nSlovenia<\/td>\n		\n2004<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bulgaria
\nRomania<\/td>\n		\n
    \n
  • These countries joined the European Union in the latest round of enlargement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
2007<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Croatia<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • The second former Yugoslav country to join the EU since Slovenia joined in 2004<\/li>\n
  • The accession process was hindered by Slovenia, who raised border disputes which they demanded be resolved before Croatia could join<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Candidate Countries<\/strong><\/p>\n

The process involved to join the European Union is complex and requires unanimous approval from existing members. A candidate country<\/strong> is a country that has applied to join the European Union.<\/p>\n

Here are the current EU candidate countries:<\/p>\n