Questions about Enlargement of the European Union
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What are the Copenhagen criteria for EU enlargement?
The Copenhagen criteria, agreed at the Copenhagen summit in June 1993, require a candidate country to have a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, a functioning market economy able to cope with competition within the EU, and the capacity to adopt the full body of EU law known as the acquis communautaire. A further requirement added in December 1995 is that candidates must also build the administrative and judicial structures to implement that law effectively at home.
How many times has the European Union been enlarged and when did each enlargement happen?
The EU and its predecessors have undergone seven formal enlargements. The founding six members were joined by the UK, Ireland, and Denmark in 1973; Greece in 1981; Spain and Portugal in 1986; Austria, Finland, and Sweden in 1995; ten countries including Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states in 2004; Bulgaria and Romania in 2007; and Croatia in 2013. The most recent territorial enlargement was the incorporation of Mayotte in 2014.
Why did Norway not join the European Union?
Norway completed membership negotiations twice, in 1972 and in 1994, but on both occasions the Norwegian government lost the national referendum on membership. The application remains frozen.
Why are Turkey's EU accession negotiations frozen?
Turkey's EU membership negotiations were opened in October 2005 but have been effectively frozen by the EU since December 2016. The reason given was backsliding in the areas of democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights. Turkey had originally applied for association with the European Communities in the 1950s, and its 1987 membership application was found eligible under the 1963 Ankara Association Agreement, but the commission's opinion was negative at that time.
Which countries are currently negotiating EU membership?
Accession negotiations are ongoing with Montenegro (since 2012), Serbia (since 2014), Albania (since 2020), North Macedonia (since 2020), Moldova (since 2024), and Ukraine (since 2024). Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia hold official candidate status but were asked to complete additional reforms before negotiations could formally begin. Kosovo submitted a membership application in December 2022 but has not yet been granted candidate status.
How long does EU accession typically take from application to membership?
The process from formal application to membership has typically taken about a decade. Sweden, Finland, and Austria moved significantly faster, completing the process in only a few years. Turkey represents the extreme opposite: the country first sought association with the European Communities in the 1950s and had still not concluded accession negotiations decades later.