97-464: There are currently nine states recognized as candidates for membership of the European Union : Albania , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Georgia , Moldova , Montenegro , North Macedonia , Serbia , Turkey , and Ukraine . Kosovo (the independence of which is not recognised by five EU member states ) formally submitted its application for membership in 2022 and is considered a potential candidate by
194-453: A union of states does not "emphasise sovereignty or the separation of domestic and foreign affairs [and it] has become a highly developed system for mutual interference in each other's domestic affairs, right down to beer and sausages.". However, on defence and foreign policy issues (and, pre- Lisbon Treaty , police and judicial matters) less sovereignty is transferred, with issues being dealt with by unanimity and co-operation. Very early on in
291-571: A candidate to have a democratic government and free-market economy together with the corresponding freedoms and institutions, and respect for the rule of law . Enlargement of the Union is also contingent upon the consent of all existing members and the candidate's adoption of the existing body of EU law, known as the acquis communautaire . The United Kingdom , which had acceded to the EU's predecessor in 1973, ceased to be an EU member state on 31 January 2020, in
388-562: A few of them in the process) Correspondence between chapters of the 5th and the 6th Enlargement: Such negotiations usually involved agreeing transitional periods before new member states needed to implement the laws of the European Union fully and before they and their citizens acquired full rights under the acquis . The term acquis is also used to describe laws adopted under the Schengen Agreement , prior to its integration into
485-449: A formalisation of the situation. EU integration is not always symmetrical, with some states proceeding with integration ahead of hold-outs. There are several different forms of closer integration both within and outside the EU's normal framework. One mechanism is enhanced cooperation where nine or more states can use EU structures to progress in a field that not all states are willing to partake in. Some states have gained an opt-out in
582-587: A greater or lesser extent. If an aspect is not listed in the table below, then it remains the exclusive competence of the member state. Perhaps the best known example is taxation, which remains a matter of state sovereignty. As a result of the European sovereign debt crisis , some eurozone states were given a bailout from their fellow members via the European Financial Stability Facility and European Financial Stability Mechanism (replaced by
679-606: A matter of major significance and considerable controversy since it was granted in 1999. Turkey has had historically close ties with the EU, having an association agreement since 1964 , being in a customs union with the EU since 1995 and initially applying to join in 1987. Only after a summit in Brussels on 17 December 2004 (following the major 2004 enlargement ) did the European Council announce that membership negotiations with Turkey were officially opened on 3 October 2005. Turkey
776-522: A member state to leave the bloc. The procedure for a state to leave is outlined in TEU Article 50 which also makes clear that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements". Although it calls for a negotiated withdrawal between the seceding state and the rest of the EU, if no agreement is reached two years after the seceding state notifying of its intention to leave, it would cease to be subject to
873-401: A monarch although political powers are exercised by elected politicians. Most republics and all the monarchies operate a parliamentary system whereby the head of state (president or monarch) has a largely ceremonial role with reserve powers . That means most power is in the hands of what is called in most of those countries the prime minister, who is accountable to the national parliament . Of
970-453: A new country applying from scratch. However, other studies claim internal enlargement is legally viable if, in case of a member state dissolution or secession, the resulting states are all considered successor states . There is also a European Citizens' Initiative that aims at guaranteeing the continuity of rights and obligations of the European citizens belonging to a new state arising from
1067-487: A number of active separatist movements within member states (for example in Catalonia and Flanders ) but there are no clear agreements, treaties or precedents covering the scenario of an existing EU member state breaking into two or more states, both of which wish to remain EU member states. The question is whether one state is a successor and one a new applicant or, alternatively, both are new states which must be admitted to
SECTION 10
#17330848904841164-471: A political crisis for Catalonia. The EU's position is to keep distance from the crisis while supporting Spain's territorial integrity and constitution. While the debate around Scotland's referendum may inform the Catalan crisis, Catalonia is in a distinct situation from Scotland whereby the central government does not recognise the legitimacy of any independence declaration from Catalonia. If Spain does not recognise
1261-542: A political process known as Brexit . No other member state has withdrawn from the EU and none has been suspended, although some dependent territories or semi-autonomous areas have left . There are a number of overseas member state territories which are legally part of the EU, but have certain exemptions based on their remoteness; see Overseas Countries and Territories Association . These "outermost regions" have partial application of EU law and in some cases are outside of Schengen or
1358-592: A positive decision will be possible by the end of the year". On 8 November 2023, the European Commission recommended opening negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine, and granting candidate status to Georgia, and this was agreed by the European Council on 14 December 2023. On 25 June 2024, the first Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) was called by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, officially marking
1455-546: A result of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom , the current number of EU member states is twenty-seven. Of the four major western European countries that are not EU members, Norway , Switzerland and Iceland have submitted membership applications in the past but subsequently frozen or withdrawn them, while the United Kingdom is a former member. Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, as well as Liechtenstein , participate in
1552-462: A single state were the 1981 admission of Greece and the 2013 admission of Croatia. However, the EU members have warned that, following the significant effect of the fifth enlargement in 2004 , a more individual approach will be adopted in the future, although the entry of pairs or small groups of countries will most probably coincide. For an applicant to become a member state of the EU, several procedural steps need to get passed. These steps will move
1649-462: A template for the pro-EU regions of the UK remaining within the EU or its single market. Beyond the formal withdrawal of a member state, there are a number of independence movements such as Catalonia or Flanders which could result in a similar situation to Greenland. Were a territory of a member state to secede but wish to remain in the EU, some scholars claim it would need to reapply to join as if it were
1746-450: A unanimous decision by the Council of the European Union once the screening procedure has been completed for the specific chapters in concern (by a report outlining which legislative changes are needed), while there can also be set some "opening benchmarks" requiring a certain amount of legislative changes/implementation to be met even before the opening of the chapter. The closure of a chapter,
1843-403: Is based on the analysis performed by the online media outlet European Pravda for Ukraine; scores for other countries, as well as additional sections (public administration reform and economic criteria) were added based on official data from the European Commission's reports. The Maastricht Treaty (Article 49) states that any European country (as defined by a European Council assessment ) that
1940-454: Is committed to democracy may apply for membership in the European Union. In addition to European states, other countries have also been speculated or proposed as future members of the EU. States in Europe that have chosen, for various reasons, not to join the EU have integrated with it to different extents according to their circumstances. Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein participate directly in
2037-403: Is considered a potential candidate by the European Union. Serbia and Montenegro, the most advanced candidates in their negotiation processes with the EU, may join the EU sometime between 2025 and 2030. Montenegro's declared political goal is to achieve membership of the EU by 2028. The European Council had endorsed starting negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia on 26 March 2020, however,
SECTION 20
#17330848904842134-517: Is done provisionally by a unanimous decision by the Council of the European Union once the state demonstrates to have implemented and aligned their domestic legislation with the EU law, for each specific chapter in concern. There are no requirement for completion of the screening procedure for all 35 negotiating chapters , before the start of the first and second intergovernmental conference. The 2003 European Council summit in Thessaloniki set
2231-564: Is largely pro-European and pro- environmentalism . Member state of the European Union The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are party to the EU's founding treaties , and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. They have agreed by the treaties to share their own sovereignty through the institutions of the European Union in certain aspects of government. State governments must agree unanimously in
2328-419: Is open to any European country that is a stable, free-market liberal democracy that respects the rule of law and human rights. Furthermore, it has to be willing to accept all the obligations of membership, such as adopting all previously agreed law (the 170,000 pages of acquis communautaire ) and switching to the euro . For a state to join the European Union, the prior approval of all current member states
2425-503: Is required. In addition to enlargement by adding new countries, the EU can also expand by having territories of member states, which are outside the EU, integrate more closely (for example in respect to the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles ) or by a territory of a member state which had previously seceded and then rejoined (see withdrawal below). There is no provision to expel a member state, but TEU Article 7 provides for
2522-627: Is superior to State law is subject to some debate. The treaties do not give a judgement on the matter but court judgements have established EU's law superiority over national law and it is affirmed in a declaration attached to the Treaty of Lisbon (the proposed European Constitution would have fully enshrined this). The legal systems of some states also explicitly accept the Court of Justice's interpretation, such as France and Italy, however in Poland it does not override
2619-521: Is taken against it as outlined above. However, the treaties do not provide any mechanism to expel a member state outright. Prior to the Lisbon Treaty , there was no provision or procedure within any of the Treaties of the European Union for a member state to withdraw from the European Union or its predecessor organisations. The Lisbon Treaty changed this and included the first provision and procedure of
2716-545: Is that Turkey does not recognise one EU member state, Cyprus , because of the Cyprus problem and the Cypriot government blocks some chapters of Turkey's talks. Turkey's relations with the EU have seriously deteriorated in the aftermath of the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt and subsequent purges . On 26 July 2016, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced that Turkey's EU membership process would come to an end if
2813-741: Is the eleventh largest economy in the world (measured as Purchasing Power Parity), and is a key regional power . In 2006, Carl Bildt , former Swedish foreign minister , stated that "[The accession of Turkey] would give the EU a decisive role for stability in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, which is clearly in the strategic interest of Europe." However, others, such as former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel , expressed opposition to Turkey's membership. Opponents argue that Turkey does not respect
2910-572: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Ukraine submitted an application for EU membership on 28 February 2022, followed by Georgia and Moldova on 3 March 2022. On 23 June 2022, the European Council granted candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine, and recognized Georgia as a potential candidate for membership. When taking its candidacy decision for Ukraine and Moldova, the Council made opening the accession negotiations conditional to addressing respectively seven and nine key areas related to strengthening
3007-673: The Basque Country , makes possible the future existence of an independent Basque Country under different potential territorial configurations. In overall terms the Basque nationalism is pro-European. On 1 October 2017, the Catalan government held a referendum on independence , which had been declared illegal by the Constitutional Court of Spain , with potential polling stations being cordoned off by riot police. The subsequent events constituted
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3104-413: The Council for the union to adopt some policies; for others, collective decisions are made by qualified majority voting . These obligations and sharing of sovereignty within the EU (sometimes referred to as supranational ) make it unique among international organisations, as it has established its own legal order which by the provisions of the founding treaties is both legally binding and supreme on all
3201-708: The EU Single Market and also in the Schengen Area , which makes them closely aligned with the EU; none, however, are in the EU Customs Union . The present enlargement agenda of the European Union regards three distinct groups of states: These states must negotiate the terms of their EU accession with the current member states, and align their domestic legislation with EU law before joining. There are other states in Europe that either seek membership or could potentially apply if their present foreign policy changes or
3298-573: The European Commissioner for Enlargement between 2004 and 2010, said on the occasion that the EU should "avoid overstretching our capacity, and instead consolidate our enlargement agenda," adding, "this is already a challenging agenda for our accession process." Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine ratified an Association Agreement with the EU, and the European Parliament passed a resolution in 2014 stating that "in accordance with Article 49 of
3395-477: The European Council (comprising the heads of state or government of the member states) resolved that it would open no new areas in Turkey's membership talks in the "prevailing circumstances", as Turkey's path toward autocratic rule made progress on EU accession impossible. On 13 March 2019, the European Parliament accepted the call for a halt to the full membership negotiations between the EU and Turkey. On 19 May 2021,
3492-468: The European Council , gathered for a summit in Brussels, where they unanimously approved opening EU membership negotiations for Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005, the European Commission suggested in a strategy paper that the present enlargement agenda could potentially block the possibility of a future accession of Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , Georgia , Moldova , and Ukraine . Olli Rehn ,
3589-517: The European Stability Mechanism from 2013), but this came with conditions. As a result of the Greek government-debt crisis , Greece accepted a large austerity plan including privatisations and a sell off of state assets in exchange for their bailout. To ensure that Greece complied with the conditions set by the European troika (ECB, IMF, Commission), a 'large-scale technical assistance' from
3686-472: The National Council of Slovenia . All elections in member states use some form of proportional representation . The most common type of proportional representation is the party-list system . There are also differences in the level of self-governance for the sub-regions of a member state. Most states, especially the smaller ones, are unitary states ; meaning all major political power is concentrated at
3783-472: The October Georgian parliamentary election should not be recognised. Following this, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that ascension negotiations were suspended until 2028. However, Kobakhidze insisted that his government would continue to implement the reforms required for accession and that it still planned for Georgia to join the EU by 2030. Turkey's candidacy to join the EU has been
3880-486: The state's constitution , which it does in Germany. The exact areas where the member states have given legislative competence to the Union are as follows. Every area not mentioned remains with member states. In EU terminology, the term 'competence' means 'authority or responsibility to act'. The table below shows which aspects of governance are exclusively for collective action (through the commission) and which are shared to
3977-552: The "principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law", may apply to join the EU. Whether a country is European or not is subject to political assessment by the EU institutions. Past enlargement since the foundation of the European Union as the European Economic Community by the Inner Six states in 1958 brought total membership of the EU to twenty-eight, although as
Potential enlargement of the European Union - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-503: The EU VAT area—however they are legally within the EU. They all use the euro as their currency. Abbreviations have been used as a shorthand way of grouping countries by their date of accession. Additionally, other abbreviations have been used to refer to countries which had limited access to the EU labour market . According to the Copenhagen criteria , membership of the European Union
4171-504: The EU ambassador in Georgia announced that it had suspended the country's accession to the bloc. The European Union has threatened Georgia with sanctions and suspension of relations if the country becomes a "one-party state" without political opposition following parliamentary elections in October 2024. The EU later stopped financial aid. In November, the European parliament voted that the results of
4268-520: The EU and the candidate member states for the fifth enlargement (the ten that joined in 2004 plus Romania and Bulgaria which joined in 2007). These chapters were: Beginning with the negotiations with Croatia (which joined in 2013), the acquis is split up into 35 chapters instead, with the purpose of better balancing between the chapters: (dividing the most difficult ones into separate chapters for easier negotiation, uniting some easier chapters, moving some policies between chapters, as well as renaming
4365-482: The EU gives a signal that they might now be included on the enlargement agenda. However, these are not formally part of the current agenda, which is already delayed due to bilateral disputes in the Balkans and difficulty in fully implementing the acquis communautaire (the accepted body of EU law). It was previously the norm for enlargements to see multiple entrants join the Union at once. The only previous enlargements of
4462-484: The EU through offering some of the benefits of EU membership to the region in advance of accession . The Growth Plan provides €6 billion financial grants and loans for the entire region in return of implementation of structural reforms. Beside the core financial support of the growth plan, one of the additional embedded priority actions is granting access to the Single Euro Payments Area . On 8 November 2023,
4559-490: The EU, which have been withdrawn or otherwise frozen. Such applications could be resubmitted in the event of a change in the political landscape. On 5 March 2024, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his country would apply for EU candidacy by autumn 2024 at the latest. On 12 March 2024, the European Parliament passed a resolution confirming Armenia met Maastricht Treaty Article 49 requirements and that
4656-478: The EU. In some cases, a region desires to leave its state and the EU, namely those regions wishing to join Switzerland . But most, namely the two movements that held referendums during the 2010s, Scotland and Catalonia, see their future as independent states within the EU. This results in great interest in whether, once independent, they would retain EU membership or conversely whether they would have to re-apply. In
4753-603: The European Commission and other member states was deployed to Greek government ministries. Some, including the President of the Euro Group Jean-Claude Juncker , stated that "the sovereignty of Greece will be massively limited." The situation of the bailed out countries (Greece, Portugal and Ireland) has been described as being a ward or protectorate of the EU with some such as the Netherlands calling for
4850-406: The European Commission recommended opening negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved. On 12 March 2024, the European Commission recommended opening EU membership negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, citing the positive results from important reforms the country enacted. On 21 March 2024, all 27 EU leaders, representing
4947-507: The European Parliament unanimously accepted the call for the suspension of accession negotiations between the EU and Turkey. As of 2022, and especially following Erdoğan's victory in the constitutional referendum , Turkish accession talks are effectively at a standstill. In July 2023, Erdoğan brought up Turkey's accession to EU membership up in the context of Sweden's application for NATO membership . However, in September 2023, he announced that
SECTION 50
#17330848904845044-533: The European Parliament; prospective justices must be confirmed by the existing members. Historically, larger member states were granted an extra Commissioner. However, as the body grew, this right has been removed and each state is represented equally. The six largest states are also granted an Advocates General in the Court of Justice. Finally, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank includes
5141-524: The European Union as a union of various European peoples, as well as recommendations for alignment within European directives. There is an active movement towards Flemish independence or union with the Netherlands . The future status of Wallonia and Brussels (the de facto capital of the EU ) are unclear as viable political states, perhaps producing a unique situation from Scotland and Catalonia . There are various proposals, both within and outside
5238-626: The European Union legal order by the Treaty of Amsterdam , in which case one speaks of the Schengen acquis . The term acquis has been borrowed by the World Trade Organization Appellate Body, in the case Japan – Taxes on Alcoholic Beverages , to refer to the accumulation of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and WTO law (" acquis gattien "), though this usage is not well established. It has been used to describe
5335-399: The European Union was well into a rupture in its relations with Turkey and that they could part ways during Turkey's European Union membership process. The table below shows the level of preparation of applicant countries with EU standards ( acquis communautaire ) on a 5-point scale, using data from the European Commission's 2024 reports. The analysis is based on the analysis performed by
5432-442: The European Union. Due to multiple factors, talks with Turkey are at an effective standstill since December 2016. Six candidates are currently engaged in active negotiations: Montenegro (since 2012), Serbia (since 2014), Albania (since 2020), North Macedonia (since 2020), Moldova and Ukraine (since 2024). The most advanced stage of the negotiations, defined as meeting the interim benchmarks for negotiation chapter 23 and 24 which allow
5529-569: The States to Community, the Member States have limited their sovereign rights and have thus created a body of law which binds both their nationals and themselves...The transfer by the States from their domestic legal system to the Community legal system of the rights and obligations arising under the Treaty carries with it a permanent limitation of their sovereign rights. The question of whether Union law
5626-522: The Treaty on European Union, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as any other European country, have a European perspective, can apply for EU membership in compliance with the principles of democracy, respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights, minority rights and ensuring the rule of rights." They also entered the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU, which creates "framework for modernising [...] trade relations and for economic development by
5723-404: The UK eventually withdrew from the EU on 31 January 2020. Prior to 2016, no member state had voted to withdraw. However, French Algeria , Greenland and Saint-Barthélemy did cease being part of the EU (or its predecessor) in 1962, 1985, and 2012, respectively, due to status changes. The situation of Greenland being outside the EU while still subject to an EU member state had been discussed as
5820-441: The accepted body of EU law (divided into 6 clusters) must be opened and closed during subsequent additional intergovernmental conferences, for a state to conclude the negotiations by the signing of an accession treaty. After a reform in 2020, the 35 chapters have been divided into six main clusters, where all chapters of the first cluster are supposed to be opened together at the same time. The opening of chapters, can only happen by
5917-415: The accumulated legislation, legal acts and court decisions that constitute the body of European Union law that came into being since 1993. The term is French: acquis meaning "that which has been acquired or obtained", and communautaire meaning "of the community". During the process of the enlargement of the European Union , the acquis was divided into 31 chapters for the purpose of negotiation between
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#17330848904846014-534: The achievements of the Council of Europe (an international organisation unconnected with the European Union): The Council of Europe's acquis in standard setting activities in the fields of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental human rights and freedoms should be considered as milestones towards the European political project, and the European Court of Human Rights should be recognised as
6111-465: The closing process of all negotiation chapters to start, has so far only been reached by Montenegro. Montenegro's declared political goal is to achieve membership of the EU by 2028. The accession criteria are included in the Copenhagen criteria , agreed in 1993, and the Treaty of Maastricht (Article 49). Article 49 of the Maastricht Treaty (as amended) says that any "European state" that respects
6208-422: The country may apply for EU membership. At the 2024 Copenhagen Democracy Summit , Pashinyan stated that he would like Armenia to become a member of the European Union "this year." 51% in favour of rejoining, 35% against, 12% neither/ don't know (23-25 May 2024, Deltapoll ). Internal enlargement is the process of new member states arising from the break-up of an existing member state. There have been and are
6305-407: The death penalty was reinstated in Turkey. On 24 November 2016, the European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution calling for the "temporary freeze of the ongoing accession negotiations with Turkey" over human rights and rule of law concerns. On 6 July 2017, the European Parliament accepted the call for the suspension of full membership negotiations between the EU and Turkey. On 13 December,
6402-403: The democratic secession of a European Union member state. Each state has representation in the institutions of the European Union . Full membership gives the government of a member state a seat in the Council of the European Union and European Council . When decisions are not being taken by consensus , qualified majority voting (which requires majorities both of the number of states and of
6499-516: The directly elected lower house and require its support to stay in office—the exception being Cyprus with its presidential system. Upper houses are composed differently in different member states: it can be directly elected like the Polish senate ; indirectly elected, for example, by regional legislatures like the Federal Council of Austria ; or unelected, but representing certain interest groups like
6596-555: The founding treaties from participating in certain policy areas. The admission of a new state the Union is limited to liberal democracies and Freedom House ranks all EU states as being totally free electoral democracies. All but 4 are ranked at the top 1.0 rating. However, the exact political system of a state is not limited, with each state having its own system based on its historical evolution. More than half of member states—16 out of 27—are parliamentary republics , while six states are constitutional monarchies , meaning they have
6693-428: The governors of the national central banks (who may or may not be government appointed) of each euro area country. The larger states traditionally carry more weight in negotiations, however smaller states can be effective impartial mediators and citizens of smaller states are often appointed to sensitive top posts to avoid competition between the larger states. This, together with the disproportionate representation of
6790-415: The history of the EU, the unique state of its establishment and pooling of sovereignty was emphasised by the Court of Justice: By creating a Community of unlimited duration, having its own institutions, its own personality, its own legal capacity and capacity of representation on the international plane and, more particularly, real powers stemming from a limitation of sovereignty or a transfer of powers from
6887-408: The independence of a Catalan state, Catalonia cannot separately join the EU and it is still recognised as part of Spain's EU membership. Corsica has a strong and electorally successful nationalist movement , with positions ranging from autonomy to outright independence, the latter option with around 10–15% public support. The independist party Corsica Libera envisions an independent Corsica within
6984-516: The independentist movement, for what should happen to Brussels , ranging from staying part of the Belgian rump state, to joining the hypothetical Flemish state, to becoming a separate political entity. Sardinia has a strong and electorally successful nationalist movement , with positions ranging from autonomy to outright independence. Generally associated with left-wing politics , the Sardinian movement
7081-417: The institutions in return for representation within those institutions. This practice is often referred to as 'pooling of sovereignty'. Those institutions are then empowered to make laws and execute them at a European level. If a state fails to comply with the law of the European Union , it may be fined or have funds withdrawn. In contrast to some international organisations, the EU's style of integration as
7178-481: The integration of the Western Balkans as a priority of EU expansion. Slovenia was the first former Yugoslav country to join the EU in 2004 , followed by Croatia in 2013 . Albania , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Montenegro , North Macedonia , and Serbia have all been officially granted candidate status. Kosovo , which is claimed by Serbia and not recognised by 5 EU states , applied on 14 December 2022 and
7275-409: The interests of all the member states within the EU. In the 1950s, six core states founded the EU's predecessor European Communities ( Belgium , France , Italy , Luxembourg , the Netherlands , and West Germany ). The remaining states have acceded in subsequent enlargements . To accede, a state must fulfil the economic and political requirements known as the Copenhagen criteria , which require
7372-414: The key principles that are expected in a liberal democracy , such as the freedom of expression . Turkey's large population would also alter the balance of power in the representative European institutions. Upon joining the EU, Turkey's 84 million inhabitants would bestow it the largest number of MEPs in the European Parliament . It would become the most populous country in the EU. Another problem
7469-523: The larger ones). The members of the European Parliament have been elected by universal suffrage since 1979 (before that, they were seconded from national parliaments ). The national governments appoint one member each to the European Commission , the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Auditors . Prospective Commissioners must be confirmed both by the President of the Commission and by
7566-408: The later case, since new members must be approved unanimously, any other state which has an interest in blocking their membership to deter similar independence movements could do so. Additionally, it is unclear whether the successor state would retain any opt-outs that the parent state was entitled to. The presence of a strong Basque Nationalist movement, strongly majoritary in several territories of
7663-399: The legal right to revoke it. States such as France have a number of overseas territories , retained from their former empires . Acquis communautaire The Community acquis or acquis communautaire ( / ˈ æ k iː k ə ˈ m juː n ə t ɛər / ; French: [aˌki kɔmynoˈtɛːʁ] ), sometimes called the EU acquis and often shortened to acquis , is
7760-449: The member states (after a landmark ruling of the ECJ in 1964 ). A founding principle of the union is subsidiarity , meaning that decisions are taken collectively if and only if they cannot realistically be taken individually. Each member country appoints to the European Commission a European commissioner . The commissioners do not represent their member state, but instead work collectively in
7857-477: The member states are sovereign, the union partially follows a supranational system for those functions agreed by treaty to be shared. ("Competences not conferred upon the Union in the Treaties remain with the member states"). Previously limited to European Community matters, the practice, known as the ' community method ', is currently used in many areas of policy. Combined sovereignty is delegated by each member to
7954-409: The national level. 9 states allocate power to more local levels of government. Austria, Belgium and Germany are full federations, meaning their regions have constitutional autonomies. Denmark, Finland, France and the Netherlands are federacies , meaning some regions have autonomy but most do not. Spain and Italy have systems of devolution where regions have autonomy, but the national government retains
8051-477: The negotiation process was blocked by Bulgaria for over two years. In June 2022 French President Emmanuel Macron submitted a compromise proposal which, if adopted by both countries, would pave the way for the immediate adoption of negotiating frameworks for North Macedonia and Albania by the EU Council and for the organization of intergovernmental conferences with them. On 24 June 2022, Bulgaria's parliament approved
8148-410: The online media outlet European Pravda for Ukraine; scores for other countries, as well as additional sections (public administration reform and economic criteria) were added based on official data from the European Commission's reports. The table below shows the progress over the past year of applicant countries on a 4-point scale, using data from the European Commission's 2024 reports. The analysis
8245-468: The opening of markets via the progressive removal of customs tariffs and quotas, and by an extensive harmonisation of laws, norms and regulations in various trade-related sectors, creating the conditions for aligning key sectors" of their economies with EU standards. However, the EU did not expand further into the post-Soviet space in the 2010s. By January 2021, Georgia and Ukraine were preparing to formally apply for EU membership in 2024. However, following
8342-458: The population they represent, but a sufficient blocking minority can veto the proposal). The Presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates among each of the member states, allowing each state six months to help direct the agenda of the EU. Similarly, each state is assigned seats in Parliament according to their population (smaller countries receiving more seats per inhabitant than
8439-617: The pre-eminent judicial pillar of any future architecture. It has also been applied to the body of "principles, norms and commitments" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE): Another question under debate has been how the Partners and others could implement the OSCE acquis, in other words its principles, norms, and commitments on a voluntary basis. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) introduced
8536-450: The remaining republics, four operate a semi-presidential system , where competences are shared between the president and prime minister, while one republic operates a presidential system , where the president is head of both state and government. Parliamentary structure in member states varies: there are 15 unicameral national parliaments and 12 bicameral parliaments. The prime minister and government are usually directly accountable to
8633-534: The revised French proposal to lift the country's veto on opening EU accession talks with North Macedonia, with the Assembly of North Macedonia also doing so on 16 July 2022 allowing accession negotiations to begin. On the same day, the start of negotiations was set for 19 July 2022. On 8 November 2023, the European Commission adopted a new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans , with the aim of bringing them closer to
8730-549: The rule of law, fighting corruption and improving governance processes. In his speech in Moldova on 28 March 2023, President of the European Council Charles Michel mentioned that "by the end of the year, the Council will have to decide on the opening negotiations with [Ukraine and Moldova]. It will be a political decision taking into account the report that will be published by the Commission. And I sincerely hope that
8827-472: The single market via the EEA , Switzerland does so via bilateral treaties and the other European microstates ( Andorra , Monaco , San Marino , Vatican City ) have specific agreements with the EU and neighbouring countries, including their use of the euro as their currency. Most of these countries are also part of the Schengen Area . Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland have all previously had live applications to join
8924-431: The smaller states in terms of votes and seats in parliament, gives the smaller EU states a greater power of influence than is normally attributed to a state of their size. However most negotiations are still dominated by the larger states. This has traditionally been largely through the " Franco-German motor" but Franco-German influence has diminished slightly following the influx of new members in 2004 (see G6 ). While
9021-493: The start of the accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine. The Association Trio is sometimes expanded to the Trio + 1 with the inclusion of Armenia , which is not formally on the EU's enlargement agenda but is considering submitting an application for membership. On 9 July 2024, following the adoption of a law by Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party requiring non-governmental and media entities to register as "foreign agents",
9118-405: The state concerned), but sanctions require only a qualified majority. The state in question would still be bound by the obligations treaties and the Council acting by majority may alter or lift such sanctions. The Treaty of Nice included a preventive mechanism whereby the council, acting by majority, may identify a potential breach and make recommendations to the state to rectify it before action
9215-443: The status of the state from applicant (potential candidate) to candidate, and later again to a negotiating candidate. The status as a negotiating candidate is reached by the mutual signing of a negotiation framework at a first intergovernmental conference. The start of substantial negotiations with the EU, is subsequently marked by the opening of the first negotiating chapters at a second intergovernmental conference. Every 35 chapters of
9312-400: The suspension of certain rights. Introduced in the Treaty of Amsterdam , Article 7 outlines that if a member persistently breaches the EU's founding principles (liberty, democracy, human rights and so forth, outlined in TEU Article 2 ) then the European Council can vote to suspend any rights of membership, such as voting and representation. Identifying the breach requires unanimity (excluding
9409-473: The treaties anyway (thus ensuring a right to unilateral withdrawal). There is no formal limit to how much time a member state can take between adopting a policy of withdrawal, and actually triggering Article 50. In a referendum in June 2016 , the United Kingdom voted to withdraw from the EU. The UK government triggered Article 50 on 29 March 2017. After an extended period of negotiation and internal political debate
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