EEB

Enlargement

What is the EU doing?

• What is the EU doing?
• What is the EEB doing?

In June 1993, 4 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, leading EU politicians at the European Council declared that 'the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe that so desire shall become members of the Union'. Ten former communist countries applied for membership.

Soon after, Association Agreements were signed with these countries - as well as Cyprus and Malta - leading to adaptation of their existing legislation and institutions to the EU’s conditions.

For the first ten countries, including Cyprus and Malta, this process led to official membership to the EU on the 1st of May 2004. Bulgaria and Romania followed on the 1st January 2007. This concluded a process enlarging the EU from 15 to 27 Member States and putting an end to the East-West divide of the continent that has existed since World War II.

This is not the end of the enlargement. The EU has discussed Turkey joining since the sixties but negotiations are slow and political resistance in Member States remains strong. However, in the last few years Croatia and the FYRo Macedonia have joined Turkey as official candidates and have begun the accession process. Albania, Montenegro and Serbia and Iceland have applied for the EU membership. Their applications are currently being evaluated by the Commission. The remaining countries in the Western Balkans are also potential candidates.

The EU agreed on a European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in 2004 with the objective of avoiding new dividing lines between the enlarged EU and its non-members and aiming to strengthen the prosperity, stability and security of all states.

The European Neighbourhood Policy applies to EU's immediate neighbours by land or sea – Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. Although Russia is also a neighbour of the EU, relations are developed through a separate Strategic Partnership.

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