Copenhagen criteria
- (Photo: Notat)
The EU Summit in Copenhagen in June 1993 decided to open EU membership to the Central and East European countries.
The then established criteria are those to be followed by all countries applying for membership of the EU. The conditions are:
- stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;
- the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union;
- the ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic & monetary union.
After initial transitional periods, countries must undertake all the obligations of the EU. At the Copenhagen Summit in December 2002, it was agreed to initiate negotiations on EU membership with ten applicant countries. The agreement was solemnly signed in Athens, 16th April 2003, and the memberships started May 1st, 2004.
Notes
- Bulgaria and Romania became EU members 1 January 2007.
- Turkey got pre-acession money from 1st January 2004, despite its non-fulfilment to date of the Copenhagen criteria for EU membership.
Links
EU site on membership criteria and accession preparation http://ec.europa.eu/enlargemen......_process/criteria/index_en.htm
European Council in Copenhag 21-22 June 1993 http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Da......docs/pressdata/en/ec/72921.pdf
