125-553: The largest enlargement of the European Union (EU), in terms of number of states and population, took place on 1 May 2004. The simultaneous accessions concerned the following countries (sometimes referred to as the "A10" countries): Cyprus , the Czech Republic , Estonia , Hungary , Latvia , Lithuania , Malta , Poland , Slovakia , and Slovenia . Seven of these were part of the former Eastern Bloc (of which three were from
250-512: A common foreign and security policy would be incompatible with that. With the end of the Cold War in 1989, that obstacle was removed, and the desire to pursue membership grew stronger. On 3 October 1990, the reunification of East and West Germany brought East Germany into the Community without increasing the number of member states. The Community later became the European Union in 1993 by virtue of
375-407: A privileged partnership for Turkey, membership for which has faced considerable opposition on cultural and logistical grounds. Notes: 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
500-555: A Committee manages to adopt a joint text, it then has to be approved in a third reading by both the Council and Parliament or the proposal is abandoned. The few other areas that operate the special legislative procedures are justice & home affairs, budget and taxation and certain aspects of other policy areas: such as the fiscal aspects of environmental policy. In these areas, the Council or Parliament decide law alone. The procedure used also depends upon which type of institutional act
625-466: 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). On 18 October 2019, France vetoed starting of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, citing problems with
750-664: A flag-raising ceremony at Áras an Uachtaráin , the Irish presidential residence. At the same time, citizens across Ireland enjoyed a nationwide celebration styled as the Day of Welcomes . President Romano Prodi took part in celebrations on the Italian-Slovenian border at the divided town of Gorizia / Nova Gorica , at the German-Polish border, the EU flag was raised and Ode to Joy was sung and there
875-398: A non-binding referendum on 8 March 2003 ; the narrow Yes-vote prompted a snap election on 12 April 2003 fought on the same question and after which the pro-EU Nationalist Party retained its majority and declared a mandate for accession. Poland held a referendum on 7 and 8 June 2003 : Voting Yes by a wide margin of about 77.5% with a turnout of around 59% The Treaty of Accession 2003
1000-498: A particular reason for grouping the A8 countries was an expectation that they would be the origin for a new wave of increased migration to wealthier European countries. They initially proved to be the origin of a new wave of migration, with many citizens moving from these countries to other states within the EU, later giving a way to newer EU members, like Romania, Bulgaria, and increasing migration from
1125-551: 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. Austria , Finland , and Sweden were neutral in the Cold War so membership of an organisation developing
1250-400: A territory 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; Turkey's application was considered eligible on the basis of
1375-493: A trio of states alongside Germany and Slovenia with whom Portugal had been co-operating. The Council meets in various configurations (as outlined below) so its membership changes depending upon the issue. The person chairing the Council will always be the member from the state holding the Presidency. A delegate from the following Presidency also assists the presiding member and may take over work if requested. The exception however
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#17328520114081500-562: A whole. 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 . Applying together with the UK, as on the previous occasions, were Denmark , Ireland, and Norway . These countries were so economically linked to
1625-624: Is being used. The strongest act is a regulation , an act or law which is directly applicable in its entirety. Then there are directives which bind members to certain goals which they must achieve, but they do this through their own laws and hence have room to manoeuvre in deciding upon them. A decision is an instrument which is focused at a particular person or group and is directly applicable. Institutions may also issue recommendations and opinions which are merely non-binding declarations. The Council votes in one of three ways; unanimity , simple majority , or qualified majority . In most cases,
1750-516: Is divided between the Council, the Parliament and the Commission. As the relationships and powers of these institutions have developed, various legislative procedures have been created for adopting laws. In early times, the avis facultatif maxim was: "The Commission proposes, and the Council disposes"; but now the vast majority of laws are subject to the ordinary legislative procedure , which works on
1875-438: Is for legislative proposals. But if the joint conciliation text is not approved, the Parliament may adopt the budget definitively. In addition to the budget, the Council coordinates the economic policy of members. The Council's rules of procedure contain the provisions necessary for its organisation and functioning. The Presidency of the Council is not a single post, but is held by a member state's government. Every six months
2000-566: Is not recognised by the EU, the entire island excluding the British overseas territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is a member of the EU as part of the Republic of Cyprus, though the de facto situation is that the Government is unable to extend its controls into the occupied areas. Efforts to reunite the island continue as of 2022. European Union membership forced the country to suspend its membership in
2125-421: Is permissible for the Council in discussing Common Foreign and Security Policy. Article 31 lays out provisions regarding a passerelle clause as well as the possibilities for Member State abstentions. Additionally, Article 31 stipulates derogation for "a decision defining a Union action or position". In late 2023 and early 2024, unanimity voting on foreign affairs issues by the Council made headlines due to
2250-518: 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
2375-504: 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 and standards) has to be fully implemented. A chapter
2500-587: Is the foreign affairs council, which has been chaired by the High Representative since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty . The role of the Presidency is administrative and political. On the administrative side it is responsible for procedures and organising the work of the Council during its term. This includes summoning the Council for meetings along with directing the work of COREPER and other committees and working parties . The political element
2625-471: Is the role of successfully dealing with issues and mediating in the Council. In particular this includes setting the agenda of the council, hence giving the Presidency substantial influence in the work of the Council during its term. The Presidency also plays a major role in representing the Council within the EU and representing the EU internationally, for example at the United Nations. Legally speaking,
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#17328520114082750-662: Is to define the general "impetus" of the Union. The European Council deals with the major issues such as the appointment of the President of the European Commission who takes part in the body's meetings. Ecofin 's Eurozone component, the Euro group , is also a formal group with its own President. Its European Council counterpart is the Euro summit formalized in 2011 and the TSCG . Following
2875-480: Is to set out future work foreseen in a specific policy area or to invite action by the Commission. If a resolution covers a policy area which is not entirely within an area of EU competency, the resolution will be issued as a "resolution of the Council and the representatives of the governments of the member states". Examples are the Council Resolution of 26 September 1989 on the development of subcontracting in
3000-558: The A8 , sometimes also referred to as the EU8 . They are grouped separately from the other two states that joined Union in 2004, i.e. Cyprus and Malta , because of their relatively similar ex-Eastern block background, per capita income level, Human Development Index level, and most of all the geographical location in mainland Europe , where the two other states from aforementioned 2004 batch are Mediterranean isles. These countries are: According to BBC
3125-454: The Council will need to unanimously agree to start Kosovo's accession process by requesting an opinion from the European Commission on its application. The EU however remains divided on its policy towards Kosovo, with five EU member states not recognising its independence . According to the EU treaties , membership of the European Union is open to "any European State which respects
3250-682: The EU's member states and is based in the Europa building in Brussels. The Council also has an important role in the formation of the European Commission. The Council sitting in the General Affairs Council configuration, in agreement with the President-elect of the Commissission, adopts a list of candidates for the Commission proposed by the member states. The EU's legislative authority
3375-465: The Franco-German engine behind the EU, as its relatively newer members, Poland and Sweden, set the policy agenda, for example Eastern Partnership . Despite fears of paralysis, the decision-making process had not been hampered by the new membership and if anything the legislative output of the institutions had increased, however justice and home affairs (which operates by unanimity) had suffered. In 2009
3500-782: The Kirchberg Conference Centre , and its offices are based at the European Centre on the plateau du Kirchberg. The Council has also met occasionally in Strasbourg , in various other cities, and also outside the Union: for example in 1974 when it met in Tokyo and Washington, D. C. while trade and energy talks were taking place. Under the Council's present rules of procedures the Council can, in extraordinary circumstances, hold one of its meetings outside Brussels and Luxembourg. From 2017, both
3625-608: The Maastricht Treaty , and established standards for new entrants so their suitability could be judged. The 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
3750-553: The Maastricht Treaty , each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration . 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. The EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community ,
3875-621: The Netherlands , had already achieved a great degree of integration amongst 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
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4000-579: The Treaties of Rome established two new communities, and with them two new Councils: the Council of the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) and the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC). However, due to objections over the supranational power of the Authority, their Councils had more powers; the new executive bodies were known as "Commissions". In 1965, the Council was hit by
4125-493: The Treaties of Rome establishing two further communities, together known as the European Communities when they merged their executives in 1967. In 1962, Spain, ruled by the military dictator Francisco Franco , issued its first attempt to join the European Communities . Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Fernando María Castiella sent the request form to French Prime Minister Maurice Couve de Murville . This request
4250-402: The rule of law , human rights, respect for and protection of minorities , the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union. In December 1995,
4375-577: The "Special Council of Ministers", set up to counterbalance the High Authority (the supranational executive, now the Commission). The original Council had limited powers: issues relating only to coal and steel were in the Authority's domain, and the Council's consent was only required on decisions outside coal and steel. As a whole, the Council only scrutinised the High Authority (the executive). In 1957,
4500-525: The "empty chair crisis". Due to disagreements between French President Charles de Gaulle and the Commission's agriculture proposals, among other things, France boycotted all meetings of the Council. This halted the Council's work until the impasse was resolved the following year by the Luxembourg compromise . Although initiated by a gamble of the President of the Commission, Walter Hallstein , who later on lost
4625-402: The "new" Member States were recruited after the enlargement, these new conditions affected all of them (although they also affect nationals of the former 15 Member States who have been recruited after 1 May 2004). Before the 2004 enlargement, the EU had twelve treaty languages: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. However, due to
4750-463: The 1963 Ankara Association Agreement but the opinion of the Commission on the possible candidate status was by then negative. Turkey received candidate status in 1999 and began full membership negotiations in 2005, which were still in progress as of 2021. After the 1970s, Europe experienced an economic downturn which led to leaders launching of the Single European Act which set to create
4875-457: The 2004 enlargement, nine new official languages were added: Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Maltese. A 2021 study in the Journal of Political Economy found that the 2004 enlargement had aggregate beneficial economic effects on all groups in both the old and new member states. The largest winners were the new member states, in particular unskilled labor in
5000-556: The Commission saw the enlargement as a success, but thought that until the enlargement was fully accepted by the public future enlargements would be slow in coming. In 2012 data published by the Guardian showed that that process is complete. The internal impact has also been relevant. The arrival of additional members has put an additional stress on the governance of the Institutions, and increased significantly overheads (for example, through
5125-532: The Community and the Council Resolution of 26 November 2001 on consumer credit and indebtedness. The legal instruments used by the Council for the Common Foreign and Security Policy are different from the legislative acts. Under the CFSP they consist of "common positions", "joint actions", and "common strategies". Common positions relate to defining a European foreign policy towards a particular third-country such as
2004 enlargement of the European Union - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-487: The Copenhagen criteria, comes the further requirement that all prospective members must enact legislation 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 . 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
5375-450: The Council is a single entity (this means that technically any Council configuration can adopt decisions that fall within the remit of any other Council configuration) but it is in practice divided into several different council configurations (or '(con)formations'). Article 16(6) of the Treaty on European Union provides: The Council shall meet in different configurations, the list of which shall be adopted in accordance with Article 236 of
5500-432: The Council is to act as one of two vetoing bodies of the EU's legislative branch , the other being the European Parliament . Together they serve to amend, approve or disapprove the proposals of the European Commission , which has the sole power to propose laws. Jointly with the Parliament, the Council holds the budgetary power of the Union and has greater control than the Parliament over the more intergovernmental areas of
5625-664: The Council of the European Union, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union , the European Council and the President of the European Council . The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union . The Secretariat is divided into eleven directorates-general , each administered by a director-general . The Council first appeared in the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as
5750-573: The Council rapidly ran out of space and administrative branch of the Secretariat moved to a building at 76 Rue Joseph II/Jozef II-straat and during the 1980s the language divisions moved out into the Nerviens, Frère Orban, and Guimard buildings. In 1995, the Council moved into the Justus Lipsius building , across the road from Charlemagne. However, its staff was still increasing, so it continued to rent
5875-422: The Council votes on issues by qualified majority voting , meaning that there must be a minimum of 55% of member states agreeing (at least 15) who together represent at least 65% of the EU population. A 'blocking minority' can only be formed by at least 4 member states, even if the objecting states constitute more than 35% of the population. Council resolutions have no legal effect. Usually the Council's intention
6000-483: 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
6125-412: The EEC. Equally, the EEC was unsure about which way these countries were heading and wanted to ensure stability along its southern borders. However François Mitterrand initially opposed their membership fearing they were not ready and it would water the community down to a free trade area. Greece joined the EEC in 1981 followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986. The year 1985, however, saw the first time
6250-585: The EU , and its predecessors, have been the exit of Algeria upon independence in 1962, the exit of Greenland in 1985, and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in 2020. Accession negotiations are currently ongoing with Montenegro (since 2012), Serbia (since 2014), Albania (since 2020), North Macedonia (since 2020), Moldova (since 2024) and Ukraine (since 2024). Negotiations with Turkey were opened in October 2005, but have been effectively frozen by
6375-532: The EU since December 2016, due to backsliding in the areas of democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia were granted official candidate status respectively in December 2022 and December 2023, but were asked to complete additional reforms before qualifying for the formal start of membership negotiations. Kosovo submitted an application for membership in December 2022. For Kosovo to be granted official candidate status,
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#17328520114086500-507: The EU the same month to membership in May 2004. Ease of accession depends on the state: how integrated it is with the EU beforehand, 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. Enlargement has been one of
6625-424: The EU's successful foreign policies, yet has equally suffered from considerable opposition from the start. French President Charles de Gaulle opposed British membership. A later French President, François Mitterrand , opposed Greek, Spanish and Portuguese membership, fearing that the former dictatorships were not ready and that the countries' inclusion would reduce the union to a free-trade area. The reasons for
6750-470: The EU, such as foreign policy and macroeconomic co-ordination. Finally, before the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, it formally held the executive power of the EU which it conferred upon the European Commission . It is considered by some to be equivalent to an upper house of the EU legislature, although it is not described as such in the treaties. The Council represents the executive governments of
6875-482: The EU. To achieve this, however, they must fulfil the appropriate conditions." Those conditions (known as the Copenhagen criteria, or simply, membership criteria) were: At the Luxembourg summit in 1997, the EU accepted the commission's opinion to invite Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus to start talks on their accession to the EU. The negotiation process started on 31 March 1998. Poland finished
7000-469: 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
7125-409: The European Council and ensure that the Union's action is consistent. Each council configuration deals with a different functional area, for example agriculture and fisheries. In this formation, the council is composed of ministers from each state government who are responsible for this area: the agriculture and fisheries ministers. The chair of this council is held by the member from the state holding
7250-511: The European Union The Council of the European Union , often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council , and informally known as the Council of Ministers , is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as listed in the Treaty on European Union . It is one of two legislative bodies and together with the European Parliament serves to amend and approve, or veto,
7375-633: The European Union The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria (named 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
7500-476: The European Union', following the establishment of the European Union by the Maastricht Treaty . That treaty strengthened the Council, with the addition of more intergovernmental elements in the three pillars system. However, at the same time the Parliament and Commission had been strengthened inside the Community pillar , curtailing the ability of the Council to act independently. The Treaty of Lisbon abolished
7625-686: The Frère Orban building to house the Finnish and Swedish language divisions. Staff continued to increase and the Council rented, in addition to owning Justus Lipsius, the Kortenberg, Froissart, Espace Rolin, and Woluwe Heights buildings. Since acquiring the Lex building in 2008, the three aforementioned buildings are no longer in use by the Council services. When the Council is meeting in Luxembourg City, it meets in
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#17328520114087750-518: 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
7875-578: The Non-Aligned Movement with Government of Cyprus insisting on maintaining close ties with the NAM. Accession of Poland to the European Union took place in May 2004. Poland had been negotiating with the EU since 1989. With the fall of communism in 1989/1990 in Poland, Poland embarked on a series of reforms and changes in foreign policy, intending to join the EU and NATO . On 19 September 1989 Poland signed
8000-473: The Parliament on co-decision legislation. It is divided into two groups of the representatives (Coreper II) and their deputies (Coreper I). Agriculture is dealt with separately by the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). The numerous working parties submit their reports to the Council through Coreper or SCA. The Treaty of Lisbon mandated a change in voting system from 1 November 2014 for most cases to double majority Qualified Majority Voting , replacing
8125-444: The Parliament. At its second reading, if the Parliament approves the text or does not act, the text is adopted, otherwise the Parliament may propose further amendments to the Council's proposal. It may be rejected out right by an absolute majority of MEPs. If the Council still does not approve the Parliament's position, then the text is taken to a " Conciliation Committee " composed of the Council members plus an equal number of MEPs. If
8250-399: The Parliament. However, in most areas the ordinary legislative procedure applies meaning both Council and Parliament share legislative and budgetary powers equally, meaning both have to agree for a proposal to pass. In a few limited areas the Council may initiate new EU law itself. The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union , also known as Council Secretariat , assists
8375-419: The Political and Security Committee (PSC) brings together ambassadors to monitor international situations and define policies within the CSDP, particularly in crises. The European Council is similar to a configuration of the Council and operates in a similar way, but is composed of the national leaders ( heads of government or state ) and has its own President, since 2019, Charles Michel . The body's purpose
8500-600: The Presidency at any given time ensuring the smooth running of the meetings and setting the daily agenda. The continuity between presidencies is provided by an arrangement under which three successive presidencies, known as Presidency trios , share common political programmes. The Foreign Affairs Council (national foreign ministers) is however chaired by the Union's High Representative . Its decisions are made by qualified majority voting in most areas, unanimity in others, or just simple majority for procedural issues. Usually where it operates unanimously, it only needs to consult
8625-401: The Presidency, the crisis exposed flaws in the Council's workings. Under the Merger Treaty of 1967, the ECSC's Special Council of Ministers and the Council of the EAEC (together with their other independent institutions) were merged into the Council of the European Communities , which would act as a single Council for all three institutions. In 1993, the Council adopted the name 'Council of
8750-438: The Republic of Cyprus with the majority being Greek-speaking Cypriots and the northern areas under Turkish military occupation (the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). The Republic of Cyprus is recognised as the sole legitimate government by every UN (and EU) member state except Turkey, while the northern occupied area is recognised only by Turkey. Cyprus began talks to join the EU, which provided impetus to solve
8875-426: The Soviet Union would no longer intervene in other countries' internal affairs ( Sinatra Doctrine ), practically freeing Central and Eastern Europe from Soviet occupation (Czechoslovakia and Hungary) / Soviet backed authoritarian regimes. These countries wanted to consolidate their democracies through joining Western world international organisations (including participation in European integration ) which would ensure
9000-492: The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The General Affairs Council shall ensure consistency in the work of the different Council configurations. It shall prepare and ensure the follow-up to meetings of the European Council, in liaison with the President of the European Council and the Commission. The Foreign Affairs Council shall elaborate the Union's external action on the basis of strategic guidelines laid down by
9125-709: The UK that they considered it necessary to join the EEC if the UK did. However the Norwegian government lost a national referendum on membership and hence did not accede with the others on 1 January 1973. Gibraltar joined the Community with the United Kingdom at this point, as can be seen in the long title of the UK European Communities Act 1972 . 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
9250-401: The Union's budgetary authority. The EU's budget (which is around 155 billion euro ) is subject to a form of the ordinary legislative procedure with a single reading giving Parliament power over the entire budget (prior to 2009, its influence was limited to certain areas) on an equal footing with the Council. If there is a disagreement between them, it is taken to a conciliation committee as it
9375-583: The accession negotiations in December 2002. Then, the Accession Treaty was signed in Athens on 16 April 2003 ( Treaty of Accession 2003 ). After the ratification of that Treaty in the 2003 Polish European Union membership referendum , Poland and other 9 countries became the members of EU on 1 May 2004. Eight of the 10 countries that joined the European Union during the 2004 enlargement are grouped together as
9500-554: 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. States in Central and Eastern Europe 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
9625-552: The agreement for trade and trade co-operation with the (then) European Community (EC). Polish intention to join the EU was expressed by Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki in his speech in the European Parliament in February 1990 and in June 1991 by Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Krzysztof Skubiszewski in Sejm (Polish Parliament). On 19 May 1990 Poland started a procedure to begin negotiations for an association agreement and
9750-426: The chapter fs – finished screening f – frozen chapter o – open chapter x – closed chapter As of May 2011, there are no longer any special restrictions on the free movement of citizens of these new member states. With their original accession to the EU, free movement of people between all 25 states would naturally have applied. However, due to concerns of mass migration from
9875-435: The commission's opinion (The council has only once rejected the commission's opinion when the latter advised against opening negotiations with Greece). 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
10000-461: The communist states began their transition to free market democracies , aligning to Euro-Atlantic integration , the question of enlargement into the continent was thrust onto the EEC's agenda. The Phare strategy was launched soon after to adapt more the structure of the Central and Eastern European countries ( Pays d'Europe Centrale et Orientale (PECO) ) to the European Economic Community . One of
10125-485: 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
10250-558: The current enlargement process. In November 2019, France proposed a seven-stage accession plan for membership. The reformed accession strategy proposes participation in different programs, such as Erasmus, Banking Union, Capital Markets Union, Customs Union, etc. The following is an example of the accession process—Estonia's path to membership from its restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in November 1991 with recognition from
10375-519: The dispute. With the agreement of the Annan Plan for Cyprus, it was hoped that the two communities would join the EU together as a single United Cyprus Republic . Turkish Cypriots supported the plan. However, in a referendum on 24 April 2004 the Greek Cypriots rejected the plan. Thus, a week later, the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU with political issues unresolved. Legally, as the northern republic
10500-565: The early 1970s. 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. Other EEC members were also inclined to British membership on those grounds. French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed British membership. Once de Gaulle had left office, the door to enlargement was once again opened. The EEC economy had also slowed down and British membership
10625-408: The eight members had been dropped by all members except Germany and Austria. Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia became members on 1 May 2004, but some areas of cooperation in the European Union will apply to some of the EU member states at a later date. These are: Since 1974 Cyprus has been divided between the free and legitimate areas of
10750-627: The enlargement, a study showed that increases in E8 migrants in Western Europe over the last ten years had been accompanied by a more widespread acknowledgement of the economic benefits of immigration. Following the 2007 enlargement, most countries placed restrictions on the new states, including the most open in 2004 (Ireland and the United Kingdom) with only Sweden, Finland and the 2004 members (minus Malta and Hungary). But by April 2008, these restrictions on
10875-642: The entry into force of a framework agreement between the EU and ESA there is a Space Council configuration—a joint and concomitant meeting of the EU Council and of the ESA Council at ministerial level dealing with the implementation of the ESP adopted by both organisations. The General Secretariat of the Council provides the continuous infrastructure of the Council, carrying out preparation for meetings, draft reports, translation, records, documents, agendas and assisting
11000-427: The fears, migration within the EU concerns less than 2% of the population. However, the migration did cause controversy in those countries which saw a noticeable influx, creating the image of a " Polish Plumber " in the EU, caricaturing the cheap manual labour from A8 countries making an imprint on the rest of the EU. The extent to which E8 immigration generated a lasting public backlash has been debated. Ten years after
11125-495: 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. These two principal forces, economic gain and political security, have been behind enlargements since. After
11250-471: The former Soviet Union and four were and still are member states of the Central European alliance Visegrád Group ). Slovenia was a non-aligned country prior to the independence, and it was one of the former republics of Yugoslavia (together sometimes referred to as the "A8" countries), and the remaining two were Mediterranean island countries, both member states of Commonwealth of Nations . Part of
11375-516: The large enlargements in 2004, public opinion in Europe turned against further expansion. It has also been acknowledged that enlargement has its limits; the EU cannot expand endlessly. 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. This has in particular been pushed by France and Germany as
11500-789: The major tools of this strategy was the Regional Quality Assurance Program ( Programme Régional d'Assurance Qualité (PRAQ) ) which started in 1993 to help the PECO States implement the New Approach in their economy. The Acquis Communautaire contained 3,000 directives and some 100,000 pages in the Official Journal of the European Union to be transposed. It demanded a lot of administrative work and immense economic change, and raised major cultural problems – e.g. new legal concepts and language consistency problems. Malta held
11625-720: The members in the European Parliament to vote a certain way. By a decision of the European Council at Edinburgh in December 1992, the Council has its seat in Brussels but in April, June, and October, it holds its meetings in Luxembourg City . Between 1952 and 1967, the ECSC Council held its Luxembourg City meetings in the Cercle Municipal on Place d'Armes . Its secretariat moved on numerous occasions but between 1955 and 1967 it
11750-481: The multiplication of official languages). Furthermore, there is a division of staff, since the very same day of the enlargement was chosen to enact an in-depth reform of the Staff Regulation, which was intended to bring significant savings in administrative costs. As a result, employment conditions (career & retirement perspectives) worsened for officials recruited after that date. Since by definition officials of
11875-399: The nature of coalition governments in a number of states means that party breakdown at different configuration of the Council vary depending on which domestic party was assigned the portfolio. However, the broad ideological alignment of the government in each state does influence the nature of the law the Council produces and the extent to which the link between domestic parties puts pressure on
12000-704: The negotiations officially began in December 1990. About a year later, on 16 December 1991 the European Union Association Agreement was signed by Poland. The Agreement came into force on 1 February 1994 (its III part on the mutual trade relations came into force earlier on 1 March 1992). As a result of diplomatic interventions by the central European states of the Visegrád Group , the European Council decided at its Copenhagen summit in June 1993 that: "the associate member states from Central and Eastern Europe , if they so wish, will become members of
12125-440: The new member states. A 2007 study in the journal Post-Soviet Affairs argued that the 2004 enlargement of the EU contributed to the consolidation of democracy in the new member states. In 2009, Freie Universität Berlin political scientist Thomas Risse wrote, "there is a consensus in the literature on Eastern Europe that the EU membership perspective had a huge anchoring effects for the new democracies." Enlargement of
12250-678: The new members to the old EU-15, some transitional restrictions were put in place. Mobility within the EU-15 (plus Cyprus) and within the new states (minus Cyprus) functioned as normal (although the new states had the right to impose restrictions on travel between them). Between the old and new states, transitional restrictions up to 1 May 2011 could be put in place, and EU workers still had a preferential right over non-EU workers in looking for jobs even if restrictions were placed upon their country. No restrictions were placed on Cyprus or Malta. The following restrictions were put in place by each country; Despite
12375-436: The newly emerged democracies would not fall back under Russian control. 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. However, the EU's desire to accept these countries' membership applications was 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
12500-597: The number of members, and after encouragement from the US, the EU pursued talks with ten countries and a change of mind by Cyprus and Malta helped to offset slightly the influx of large poorer member states from Central and Eastern Europe. Europe Association Agreement signing date Start of accession negotiations Population in 1998 1998 GDP ($ billions) 1998 GDP (PPP) per capita Real GDP in 1998 (1989=100) Real wage in 1998 (1989=100) Real gross industrial output in 1998 (1989=100) Council of
12625-474: The pillar system and gave further powers to Parliament. It also merged the Council's High Representative with the Commission's foreign policy head , with this new figure chairing the foreign affairs Council rather than the rotating presidency. The European Council was declared a separate institution from the Council, also chaired by a permanent president, and the different Council configurations were mentioned in
12750-486: The presidency (see section above). Similarly, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council is composed of national finance ministers, and they are still one per state and the chair is held by the member coming from the presiding country. The Councils meet irregularly throughout the year except for the three major configurations (top three below) which meet once a month. As of 2020 , there are ten formations: Complementing these,
12875-403: The presidency rotates among the states, in an order predefined by the Council's members, allowing each state to preside over the body. From 2007, every three member states co-operate for their combined eighteen months on a common agenda, although only one formally holds the presidency for the normal six-month period. For example, the President for the second half of 2007, Portugal, was the second in
13000-447: The presidency. The Secretary General of the Council is head of the Secretariat. The Secretariat is divided into eleven directorates-general, each administered by a director-general. The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) is a body composed of representatives from the states (ambassadors, civil servants etc.) who meet each week to prepare the work and tasks of the Council. It monitors and co-ordinates work and deals with
13125-421: The principle that consent from both the Council and Parliament are required before a law may be adopted. Under this procedure, the Commission presents a proposal to Parliament and the Council. Following its first reading the Parliament may propose amendments. If the Council accepts these amendments then the legislation is approved. If it does not then it adopts a "common position" and submits that new version to
13250-539: 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
13375-661: The promotion of human rights and democracy in Myanmar , a region such as the stabilisation efforts in the African Great Lakes , or a certain issue such as support for the International Criminal Court . A common position, once agreed, is binding on all EU states who must follow and defend the policy, which is regularly revised. A joint action refers to a co-ordinated action of the states to deploy resources to achieve an objective, for example for mine clearing or to combat
13500-549: The proposals of the European Commission , which holds the right of initiative . The Council of the European Union and the European Council are the only EU institutions that are explicitly intergovernmental , that is, forums whose attendees express and represent the position of their Member State's executive , be they ambassadors, ministers or heads of state/government. The Council meets in 10 different configurations of 27 national ministers (one per state ). The precise membership of these configurations varies according to
13625-486: The resistance of Viktor Orbán , Prime Minister of Hungary , to passing European Union aid to Ukraine. In this recent example, the Council came to a unified conclusion after discussions with the Hungarian leader; previously at the end of 2023, Orbán had left the room during the Council vote on Ukraine-EU accession talks, this ensuring that the Council passed that issue without veto. The legislative branch officially holds
13750-416: The same wave of enlargement was the accession of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007 , who were unable to join in 2004, but, according to the commission, constitute part of the fifth enlargement. With the end of World War II in May 1945, Europe found itself divided between a capitalist Western Bloc and a communist Eastern Bloc , as well as Third World neutral countries. The European Economic Community (EEC)
13875-421: The southern Europe struck by the global financial crisis. In a limelight of Brexit , the attractiveness of United Kingdom, a market that used to hold the largest share in immigration from A8 states, has sharply declined, and number of EU citizens leaving UK has hit its record heights. At 12 years after the enlargement, the EU was still "digesting" the change. The influx of new members had effectively put an end to
14000-491: The spread of small arms . Common strategies defined an objective and commits the EUs resources to that task for four years. The Council must practice unanimity when voting on foreign affairs issues because Common Foreign and Security Policy is a "sensitive" issue (according to EUR-Lex ). An exception to this rule exists via Article 31 of the Treaty on European Union , which stipulates circumstances in which qualified majority voting
14125-411: The topic under consideration; for example, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the 27 national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area (with the related European Commissioners contributing but not voting). The Presidency of the Council rotates every six months among the governments of EU member states, with the relevant ministers of the respective country holding
14250-477: The treaties for the first time. The development of the Council has been characterised by the rise in power of the Parliament, with which the Council has had to share its legislative powers. The Parliament has often provided opposition to the Council's wishes. This has in some cases led to clashes between both bodies with the Council's system of intergovernmentalism contradicting the developing parliamentary system and supranational principles. The primary purpose of
14375-519: The treaties) on the location of the newly merged institutions, the Council was to be in Brussels but would meet in Luxembourg City during April, June, and October. The ECSC secretariat moved from Luxembourg City to the merged body Council secretariat in the Ravenstein building of Brussels. In 1971 the Council and its secretariat moved into the Charlemagne building , next to the Commission's Berlaymont , but
14500-574: 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: Membership requires that candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy,
14625-459: The voting weights system. Decisions made by the council have to be taken by 55% of member states representing at least 65% of the EU's population. Almost all members of the Council are members of a political party at national level, and most of these are members of a European-level political party . However the Council is composed to represent the Member States rather than political parties and
14750-549: Was a laser show in Malta among the various other celebrations. Limerick, Ireland's third largest City, hosted Slovenia as one of ten Cities and Towns to individually welcome the ten accession countries. The then Slovenian Prime Minister Anton Rop was Guest Speaker at a business luncheon hosted by Limerick Chamber. EU Association Agreement type: Europe Agreement for the states of the Fifth Enlargement. s – screening of
14875-553: Was created in 1957 between six countries within the Western Bloc and later expanded to twelve countries across Europe. European communist countries had a looser economic grouping with the USSR known as Comecon . To the south there was a non-aligned communist federated country – Yugoslavia . Between 1989 and 1991, the Cold War between the two superpowers was coming to an end, with the USSR's influence over communist Europe collapsing. As
15000-584: Was founded with the Inner Six member states in 1958, when the Treaty of Rome came into force. Since then, the EU's membership has grown to twenty-seven, with the latest member state being Croatia , which joined in July 2013. The most recent territorial enlargement of the EU was the incorporation of Mayotte in 2014. Campione d'Italia joined the EU Customs Union in 2020. The most notable territorial reductions of
15125-568: Was housed in the Verlorenkost district of the city. In 1957, with the creation of two new Communities with their own Councils, discretion on location was given to the current Presidency. In practice this was to be in the Château of Val-Duchesse until the autumn of 1958, at which point it moved to 2 Rue Ravensteinstraat in Brussels. The 1965 agreement (finalised by the Edinburgh agreement and annexed to
15250-488: Was more readily accepted with the prospect of poorer countries wishing to join; contributions from richer countries would help balance the EU budget. 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. In the late 1980s (shortly prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union ) Mikhail Gorbachev announced
15375-452: Was rejected by all the member countries in 1964; Spain was not a democracy at the time, and thus unable to enter the EEC. 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. Algeria gained independence on 5 July 1962 and hence left the Community. There would be no further efforts at enlargement until
15500-439: Was seen as a way to revitalise the community. 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. 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
15625-623: Was signed on 16 April 2003, at the Stoa of Attalus in Athens, Greece, between the then-EU members and the ten acceding countries. The text also amended the main EU treaties , including the Qualified Majority Voting of the Council of the European Union . The treaty was ratified on time and entered into force on 1 May 2004 amid ceremonies around Europe. European leaders met in Dublin for fireworks and
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