Since the outset, the structure of the Community has always been intended to be open to other European countries. After five large waves of enlargement, the European Union has grown from six to twenty-seven Member States in half a century. The process of enlargement of the EU is ongoing. Four countries have candidate country status: Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Turkey and Iceland. Three others have submitted an application for candidature: Montenegro, Albania, and Serbia. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo also intend to join the EU.
Focus on candidate countries: Turkey, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Iceland
Turkey
Turkey is a country which has been associated with the European Community since the conclusion of the Ankara Agreement in 1963, supplemented by an additional protocol in 1970, which provides for the progressive introduction of a Customs Union. It received candidate country status at the time of the Helsinki European Council of 1999 and started negotiations in 2005.
At present, 13 chapters out of 35 have been opened and 1 is provisionally closed . As Turkey has not applied the additional Ankara Protocol to Cyprus, the Council decided in December 2006, and this was confirmed at the GAC of 7 December 2009, that as it had not met its commitments, it would not provisionally close any other chapter and would not open eight chapters dealing with the Customs Union, namely, chapters:
- 1 – free movement of goods
- 3 – right of domicile and freedom to provide services
- 9 – financial services
- 11 - agriculture and rural development
- 13 - fisheries
- 14 – transport policy
- 29 – Customs Union
- 30 – external relations
Read more on the status of accession negotiations with Turkey.
Croatia
Croatia submitted its application in October 2003. It obtained European Union “candidate country” status in June 2004. On 3 October 2005 the Council gave the green light for the launch of accession negotiations with Croatia, on the basis of a positive assessment by the ministerial task force of how this country had cooperated with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The Council confirmed that the continuation of full cooperation with the ICTY would remain a condition for the progress of negotiations throughout the accession process. The Council has agreed that failure to cooperate with the ICTY at any stage whatsoever would prejudice the general progress of negotiations. Seventeen chapters out of thirty five are currently closed, Twenty supplementary chapters are being negotiated and two others have not yet been opened.
The Council confirmed that the continuation of full cooperation with the ICTY would remain a condition for the progress of negotiations throughout the accession process. The Council has agreed that failure to cooperate with the ICTY at any stage whatsoever would prejudice the general progress of negotiations.
Read more on the status of accession negotiations with Croatia.
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia submitted its application for accession to the European Union in 2004. It was granted candidate country status in December 2005 by the European Council. The Commission recommended to the Council that accession negotiations be started in October 2009, but the Council has still to decide on this question.
Read more on the status of accession negotiations with FYROM.
Iceland
As a member of the European Economic Area since 1994 and of the Schengen Area since 2000, Iceland is already well integrated into the EU and nationals of Iceland can therefore already travel and work freely throughout the Union. Relations between Iceland and the EU date back as far as 1970, when Iceland joined the European Free Trade Association. Iceland presented its application for EU membership to the Council of the European Union in July 2009. At the end of July, the Council asked the Commission for its opinion on this candidature. The Commission returned its opinion on Iceland’s request on 24 February 2010, concluding that, from a political and economic point of view, Iceland satisfied EU accession criteria. The Commission considers that Iceland is perfectly capable of implementing existing EU legislation. The Council decided to grant Iceland candidate country status and to open accession negotiations.
Read more on the status of accession negotiations with Iceland.