European Commission

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European Commission
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Enlargement of the EU
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Previous enlargements

• 1951 ECSC
• France,Italy, Germany, Belgium,The Netherlands,
  Luxembourg
• 1973Denmark, Ireland, and UK
• 1981 Greece
• 1986Spain and Portugal
• 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden
• 2004Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,
  Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia,
  Slovenia.
• 2007 Romania and Bulgaria

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The European Union on the map

• New Member States (2007)
• Bulgaria, Romania
• Candidate CountriesCroatia FYROM (Former
  Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) - Negotiations
  not yet started Turkey
• Potential Candidate Countries
• Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro,
  Serbia (including Kosovo under UNSCR 1244)

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Conditions for Membership

• Treaty of the European Union (TEU)
• Article 49 of the TEUAny European State which
  respects the principles set out in Article 6(1)
  may apply to become a member of the Union.
• Article 6 of the TEUThe Union is founded on the
  principles of liberty, democracy, respect for
  human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the
  rule of law, principles which are common to the
  Member States.

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Conditions for membership Copenhagen - June, 1993

• 1) Political criteria (enshrined in the TEU,
  article 6)
• The applicant country must have achieved
  stability of its institutions guaranteeing
  democracy, the rule of law, human rights and
  respect for and protection of minorities.
• 2) Economic criteria
• Functioning market economy
• Capacity to cope with competitive pressure and
  market forces within the EU.
• 3) Acquis adoption and implementation criteria
• Ability to take on the obligations related to
  membership, including adherence to the aims of
  political, economic and monetary union, and to
  implement them efficiently and effectively.
• The EUs capacity to absorb new members.

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The 2004 Enlargement
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The 2004 enlargement

• On1st May 2004, after 15 years of reforms, 10 new
  countries became members of the European Union.
• Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
• Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• Slovenia
• Cyprus and Malta.
• This enlargement added 75 million new citizens to
  the EU increasing its population to 450 million.
• It is the symbol of Europe reconciliation after
  nearly50 years of being torn apart.

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Benefits of the 2004 Enlargement (1)

• Extended the zone of peace, stability and
  prosperity and set durably stable democracies in
  Europe
• 75 million new potential consumers and
  producersin rapidly growing economies
• Growth rates at least twice as high.(2005 Growth
  rate of the EU15 2,1 Vs 4,6 for the new MS)
• Positive trade balance for EU 15 jobs
  maintained or created

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Benefits of the 2004 Enlargement (2)

• Great impacts
• Level playing field for economic operators
  extended
• Same EU rules and standards across the 25
  countries
• Goods, services, capital and people circulate
  freely(transitional periods on the free movement
  of workers)
• Improved environment and food safety as new
  members have adopted EU environment and food
  safety policies

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QA about the 2004 enlargement

• Was it expensive?
• A cup of coffee a month is the price of that each
  citizen of the old member states has paid for
  helping to reunite Europe.
• Is there a flood of migration?
• Labour migration was limited (Maximum 7 years).
  Positive economic impact where labour markets
  opened.
• Did it go too fast ?
• 15 years of reforms before enlargement took
  place.
• Widening and deepening always went together!

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Accession of Bulgaria and Romania - 2007

• Completes 2004 enlargement.
• With the accession of Bulgaria and Romania,
• The Europe of 27 is
• Total population 493 million
• GDP per inhabitant EUR 21,503 (2004)
• Geographical Area (in 1,000 Km²)
• Europe 25 Approx. 4,000
• Bulgaria 110,9
  
• Romania 238,4
• Sources Eurostat

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Turkey / Croatia / FYROM Negotiation process
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Accession Negotiations the process

• Opening of chapters to the negotiations
• Screening
• If negative fulfillment of contractual
  obligations
• EU-27 unanimous decision (Intergovernmental
  conference)
• For each chapter to be opened
• Negotiating position by candidate country
• Draft Common Position by Commission to the Member
  States
• EU common position adopted by MS unanimously ----
  Next step
• Acquis, if not negotiable?
• Transitional measures may be negotiated limited
  in time and scope.
• Ex free movement of workers environment

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Monitoring of the accession process

• Annual Progress reports by the Commission
• Accession Partnership Set the priorities for
  reforms
• Peer reviews Cover the issues mentioned in the
  reports

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Negotiation procedure
Commission
Detailed analysis (monitoring) screening
Draftcommonpositions
CandidateCountry
Negotiations
Council27 MemberStates
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Accession negotiations Chapters

• Free movement of goods
• Freedom of movement for workers
• Right of establishment and freedomto provide
  services
• Free movement of capital
• Public procurement
• Company law
• Intellectual property law
• Competition policy
• Financial services
• Information society and media
• Agriculture
• Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy
• Fisheries
• Transport policy
• Energy
• Taxation
• Economic and monetary policy
• Statistics

• Social policy and employment
• Enterprise and industrial policy
• Trans-European Networks
• Regional policy and coordinationof structural
  instruments
• Judiciary and fundamental rights
• Justice, freedom and security
• Science and research
• Education and culture
• Environment
• Consumers and health protection
• Customs union
• External relations
• Foreign security and defence policy
• Financial control
• Financial and budgetary provisions
• Institutions
• Other issues

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Candidate countries

• Under negotiation
• Croatiaopening of accession negotiations October
  3 , 2005
• Turkeyopening of accession negotiations October
  3 , 2005
• Candidate status
• The Former Yugoslav Republic of
  Macedonia(European Council, December 2005)

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Pre-accession Assistance

• (1) Croatia and FYROM benefit also of part of
  CARDS regional cooperation assistance for Western
  Balkans .

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TurkeyThe long road to Accession Negotiations

• 1963Association Agreement (Ankara)
• 1987Membership application
• 1995Customs Union
• 1999European Council Helsinki candidate country
  status
• Since 2002successive Reform packages
• 2004Turkey supports UNSG Annan plan for the
  reunificationof Cyprus

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Turkey Start of the Negotiation

• December 2004European Council formal opening of
  negotiations, subject to additional legislative
  reforms signature of Protocol to the Ankara
  Agreement.(TK sufficiently fulfils political
  criteria).
• July 2005Signature of Protocol to Ankara
  Agreement extendingthe Customs Union to all
  Members States
• 3 October 2005Adoption of the negotiation
  framework and opening of accession negotiations.
• June 2006Opening and provisional closure of
  negotiationsof Science and Research chapter

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Three pillars strategy for Turkey

• Political reforms
• Accession Partnership Regular Reports to
  monitor the process
• Increased financial assistance from 2004 to
  promote reforms.
• Continuous efforts needed i.a. on democracy and
  human rights, freedomof expression, freedom of
  religion, womens rights, of minorities,and
  structural and market reforms.
• Negotiation scheme IGC UE-25 Turkey
• Unanimity required. Benchmarking before opening
  of negotiations, eg. implementation of Protocol
  to Ankara Agreement
• Negotiations to be closed not before 2014, (new
  financial perspectives).
• Possibility to suspend negotiations in case of
  violations of Political Criteria.
• Civil Society Dialogue
• strengthening links EU-Turkey. Civil
  Society(Communication in June 2005).

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Croatia

• 2001 Stabilization and Association Agreement
  (SAA) signed.
• February 2005SAA in force.
• March 2004Positive Commission opinion.
• June 2004Positive opinion endorsed by European
  Council.
• December 2004European Council decides opening of
  negotiations for March 2005,subject to full
  cooperation with ICTY.
• Negotiations postponedFull cooperation with
  ICTY not achieved.
• 3 October 2005Negotiations opened after full
  cooperation with ICTY.
• June 2006Opening and provisional closureof
  Science and Research chapter.

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The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)

• April 2001Stabilization and Association
  Agreement (SAA) signed
• March 2004Application for membership
• April 2004Entry into force of the SAA
• November 2005Commissions opinion recommends
  candidate status further progress in reform
  process before negotiationscan be opened
• December 2005European Council agrees ?
  candidate status granted.

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Other Western Balkan countries
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The potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro

• European vocation confirmed at European
  Councilof March 2006, following Thessaloniki
  Agenda of 2003.
• Continuation of the Stabilization and Association
  Process (SAP) the overall EU policy framework
  for the Western Balkans.Main SAP instruments
• Stabilization and Association Agreements (SAA)
• trade measures
• financial assistance (CARDS program)
• Regional cooperation
• Close monitoringannual Progress reports
  European Partnerships.

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EU- Western Balkan relations (May 2006)
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Financial Assistance for Western Balkan
Countries from CARDS to IPA

• CARDS 2005 -2006
• Provides financial assistance to potential
  candidate
• Priority sectors for 2005-2006
• Administrative capacity building
• democratic stabilisation
• justice and home affairs
• economic and social development
• environment and natural resources
• IPA from 2007 onwards
  All
  candidates and potential candidate countries will
  be eligible to the new financial instrument (IPA)

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Useful Internet Addresses

• Financial Pre-Accession Assistancehttp//ec.euro
  pa.eu./enlargement/financial_assistance/index_en.h
  tm
• Documentshttp//ec.europa.eu/enlargement/key_docu
  ments/phare_legislation_and_publications_en.htm
• Delegation of the European Commission to Japan
  http//deljpn.ec.europa.eu.