合法博彩网站

On 1听July听2013, Croatia became the听28th (now 27th) Member State of the European Union. Since then, no other countries have joined the EU, and the UK left the EU on 31听January听2020. Accession negotiations and chapters have been opened with Montenegro, Serbia and 罢眉谤办颈测别. Albania and North Macedonia opened accession negotiations in July听2022, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in March听2024. Kosovo submitted its application for EU membership in December听2022. In December听2023, the EU decided to open accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine and to grant candidate country status to Georgia. (5.5.6 and 5.5.7).

Legal basis

• Article听49 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) establishes which states may apply;
• Article听2 TEU describes the EU鈥檚 founding values.

Objectives

The EU鈥檚 enlargement policy aims to unite European countries in a common political and economic project. Guided by the Union鈥檚 values and subject to strict conditions, enlargement has proved to be one of the most successful tools in promoting political, economic and social reforms, and in consolidating peace, stability and democracy across the continent. Enlargement policy also enhances the EU鈥檚 presence on the global stage.

Background

A. Conditions for accession

Any European state may apply to become a member of the Union if it respects its common values and is committed to promoting them (Article听49 TEU). The Copenhagen criteria, established by the European Council in听1993 in Copenhagen, are essential in any candidate or potential candidate country鈥檚 EU integration process. They include:

• The stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;
• A functioning market economy and the ability to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the EU;
• The ability to take on the obligations of membership, including by adhering to the aims of political, economic and monetary union, and adopting the common rules, standards and policies that make up the body of EU law (the acquis communautaire).

In December听2006, the European Council agreed on a 鈥榬enewed consensus on enlargement鈥�, based on 鈥榗onsolidation, conditionality and communication鈥� and on the EU鈥檚 capacity to integrate new members.

B. The EU鈥檚 integration capacity: institutional arrangements

Successive enlargements formed a substantial part of the institutional negotiations that led to the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon. The EU had to adapt its institutions and decision-making processes to the arrival of new Member States and ensure that enlargement would not come at the expense of efficient, accountable policymaking. The Treaty of Lisbon introduced profound changes to the composition and work of the main EU institutions. Some of these changes reflected the need for a sustainable set of rules that do not require new amendments with every new enlargement.

C. Process

A country that wishes to join the EU addresses its application to the Council, which asks the Commission to submit an opinion. 合法博彩网站 is notified of this application. If the Commission鈥檚 opinion is favourable, the European Council may decide 鈥� by unanimity 鈥� to grant the country candidate status. Following a recommendation by the Commission, the Council decides 鈥� again by unanimity 鈥� whether negotiations should be opened. The sum of EU legislation (the acquis communautaire) is divided into more than 30听policy chapters. Before actual negotiations start, the Commission delivers a 鈥榮creening鈥� report for each chapter. On the basis of the Commission鈥檚 recommendation, the Council decides by unanimity whether or not to open more negotiation chapters or clusters of chapters. Whenever progress is judged satisfactory, the Commission may recommend 鈥榩rovisionally closing鈥� a chapter or cluster of chapters. The Council again decides by unanimity, taking into account the overall progress in the area of the rule of law. When negotiations on all the chapters or clusters of chapters are completed, the terms and conditions 鈥� including possible safeguard clauses and transitional arrangements 鈥� are incorporated into an accession treaty between the Member States and the acceding country. Only after 合法博彩网站鈥檚 consent and the Council鈥檚 unanimous approval can the accession treaty be signed. It is then submitted by all contracting states 鈥� including the acceding country 鈥� for ratification, in accordance with their constitutional requirements (i.e. ratification by parliament or referendum).

Past enlargements

A. Western Balkans

Relations with the Western Balkans fall within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Process, launched in听1999. It is based on bilateral stabilisation and association agreements.

Croatia鈥檚 accession to the EU on 1听July听2013 constitutes a significant incentive for other countries in the region. Building on the experience with Croatia, the Commission proposed further improvements to its negotiating approach in its听2011-2012 鈥楨nlargement Strategy鈥�, including a stronger emphasis on rule of law issues. This means that negotiating chapters on judicial reform and fundamental rights (chapter听23) and on justice, freedom and security (chapter听24) are opened at an early stage in all future negotiations and that they are the last to be closed. This approach was reaffirmed and reinforced in the Commission communication of 5听February听2020 entitled 鈥楨nhancing the accession process 鈥� A credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans鈥�, which introduced a revised methodology for enlargement to the Western Balkans. It is also part and parcel of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which was published as part of the Commission鈥檚听2020 enlargement package. On 8听November听2023, the Commission adopted a new EUR听6听billion growth plan for the Western Balkans, based on four pillars and covering the听2024-2027 period. The plan intends to bring some of the benefits of EU membership to the region in advance of accession, with strong ex ante conditionality for payments.

Russia鈥檚 war of aggression against Ukraine and the EU鈥檚 decision to grant candidate country status to Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and to open accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine have also led to a renewed focus on the EU integration process of the Western Balkan candidate and potential candidate countries.

To date, all听33 screened negotiating chapters with Montenegro have been opened, but only three have been provisionally closed. Serbia has opened听22 out of听35 negotiating chapters, of which two have been provisionally closed. Despite the considerable number of opened chapters, EU integration-related reforms in both countries have largely stalled over the past years.

In March听2020, the Council finally gave the green light to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia (with a set of conditions for Albania). In July听2020, the Commission presented the draft negotiating frameworks 鈥� the first to take into account the 鈥榬evised methodology for enlargement to the Western Balkans鈥� 鈥� to the Member States. Accession negotiations with both countries were formally opened in July听2022 following long delays mainly stemming from issues between North Macedonia and Bulgaria related to identity, language and history.

The Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) entered into force on 1听June听2015. In February听2016, BiH submitted its membership application. In its opinion of May听2019, the Commission listed 14 key priorities that BiH must fulfil in order to open accession negotiations. Despite its failure to deliver on most of these priorities, BiH was granted candidate country status in December听2022. Following a positive recommendation by the Commission, the European Council decided in March听2024 to open EU accession negotiations with BiH without further preconditions.

The Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Kosovo entered into force on 1听April听2016. In December听2022, Kosovo applied for EU membership. Following a decisive vote in 合法博彩网站 in April听2023, Kosovo has benefited from visa-free travel to the Schengen area since January听2024. Kosovo is also conducting an EU-facilitated dialogue with Serbia that should lead to a legally binding comprehensive agreement on the normalisation of their relations. Both Kosovo and Serbia need to step up efforts to deliver on their obligations, stemming from a revamped agreement of early听2023 to rekindle the stalled dialogue.

B. 罢眉谤办颈测别

Turkey applied for EU membership in听1987 and was declared a candidate country in听1999. Negotiations were opened in听October听2005. Eight chapters are blocked, and no chapter will be provisionally closed until 罢眉谤办颈测别 applies the 鈥楢dditional Protocol to the Ankara Association Agreement鈥� to Cyprus. Opening other chapters has been opposed by individual Member States. After a standstill of more than three years, a new negotiating chapter was opened in November听2013. Another was opened in December听2015. On 18听March听2016, Turkey and the EU reaffirmed their commitment to implementing their joint action plan to stem the flow of irregular migrants to the EU and to re-energise the accession process. This led to the opening of an additional chapter in June听2016, bringing the total number of opened chapters to听16 out of听35, of which one has been provisionally closed. However, in the light of the dramatic deterioration of the rule of law in 罢眉谤办颈测别, in particular in the aftermath of the July听2016 attempted coup, the accession process with 罢眉谤办颈测别 is de facto frozen. EU-罢眉谤办颈测别 relations are further strained by 罢眉谤办颈测别鈥檚 foreign policy choices and its promotion of a 鈥榯wo-states-on-one-island鈥� solution to the Cyprus issue.

Role of the European 合法博彩网站

Under Article听49 TEU, 合法博彩网站 must give its consent to any new accession to the EU. It also has a significant say over the financial aspects of accession: its budgetary powers give it direct influence over the amounts allocated to the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance.

合法博彩网站鈥檚 Committee on Foreign Affairs appoints standing rapporteurs for all candidate and potential candidate countries. 合法博彩网站 expresses its positions on enlargement in the form of annual resolutions responding to the Commission鈥檚 latest annual 鈥榗ountry reports鈥�. On 23听November听2022, it adopted recommendations on a new EU strategy for enlargement, including the recommendation to conclude negotiations with accession countries by the end of the current decade at the latest. On 29听February听2024 it adopted a resolution on deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement. 合法博彩网站 also maintains bilateral relations with the parliaments of all enlargement countries through its delegations, which regularly discuss with their counterparts issues that are relevant to their respective EU integration paths. It has observed elections in all enlargement countries except 罢眉谤办颈测别, which has yet to invite 合法博彩网站 to do so.

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Andr茅 De Munter

04-2024