European Union flags fly in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire license rights
BRUSSELS, Oct 4 (Reuters) – European Union leaders will discuss how to reform the 27-nation bloc to accommodate new members at a summit in Grenada on Oct. 5-6, launching a long process aimed at to prepare the EU for enlargement with a provisional deadline of 2030.
Below is a list of countries wishing to join the EU.
CANDIDATE COUNTRY STATUS
Türkiye (candidate since 1999). Although still officially a candidate country, Turkey’s accession negotiations with the EU have long been frozen, largely over human rights and governance concerns. The entry into the EU of this country of 85 million inhabitants is currently not part of the political debate.
NORTH MACEDONIA (candidate since 2005). It has been on the EU path since 2003 and has had a Stabilization and Association Agreement – a personalized relations framework – since 2004. It received the green light for accession negotiations in 2020 after changing its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia. to satisfy Greek sensibilities. But negotiations have not yet really started, due to objections from neighboring Bulgaria.
MONTENEGRO (candidate since 2010). The small Balkan country applied for EU membership in 2008. Accession negotiations began in 2012 and since then, 33 negotiating chapters – areas in which the candidate must emulate EU laws – have been opened and three of them have been provisionally completed.
SERBIA (candidate since 2012). The country was identified as a potential candidate in 2003 and has had a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU since 2013. Accession negotiations began a year later and, to date, 22 of the 35 chapters of Negotiations were opened and two completed.
ALBANIA (candidate since 2014). The country was identified as a potential candidate in 2003 and applied in 2009 to become a member of the EU. EU governments granted Albania candidate status in 2014. Accession negotiations officially began in 2022 after Albania fulfilled conditions relating to changes in the judicial system, combating corruption and organized crime, intelligence services and public administration. But negotiations have not yet really started, because the EU has coupled Albania’s candidacy with that of North Macedonia, meaning both are blocked by Bulgaria.
MOLDOVA (candidate since 2022). The EU has concluded an Association Agreement with Moldova, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area since 2016. To move towards the start of accession negotiations, the European Commission has asked Moldova to reform its system judicial, fight against corruption and organized crime, get rid of oligarchs, reform public administration and finances, involve civil society and strengthen the protection of human rights.
UKRAINE (candidate since 2022). Kyiv applied to become a member of the EU several days after being invaded by Russia in February 2022 and was granted candidate status in June of that year.
Relations between the EU and Ukraine go back almost 30 years: the EU signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine in 1994 and it entered into force in 1998.
In 2004, Ukraine became a priority partner of the EU after the “Orange Revolution” against electoral fraud and corruption showed that it was on the path to EU integration.
In 2014, pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association and trade agreement with the EU, sparking the popular Maidan revolution, which was followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The Association and Trade Agreement with the EU entered into force in 2017.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (candidate since 2022). The country was identified as a potential candidate in 2003 and has concluded a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU since 2015. It applied for EU membership in 2016. To begin accession negotiations, Bosnia must implement 14 priorities set by the Commission in 2019, which focus on democracy and the functioning of the state, the rule of law, fundamental rights and public administration reform.
WAITING FOR CANDIDATE COUNTRY STATUS
GEORGIA (application for EU membership in 2022). EU governments say they will grant Georgia candidate status once Tbilisi decides some concerns, notably on the rule of law, the independence of the courts and freedom of the media. Since 2016, the EU and Georgia have concluded an association agreement covering trade.
KOSOVO (applied for membership of the EU in 2022). Brussels has raised the prospect of a European perspective for Kosovo since 2005, even before the country’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008. But not all EU countries recognize Kosovo as an independent state. Since 2016, the EU has concluded a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Kosovo which serves as the basis for its accession process.
Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; edited by Mark Heinrich
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