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 08 August 2007
Confident Consumers - A Fair Deal creating Prosperity & Success for All
 
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Introduction

Background

The European Union’s biggest single expansion in membership, since the original six members signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, occurred on 1st May 2004. Enlargement is ongoing with Bulgaria and Romania, the next in line to become EU members. Turkey and Croatia opened their membership negotiations under the UK Presidency of the EU in October 2005

Negotiations were closed with ten countries (the A10) in December 2002. The Copenhagen Council of 12 and 13 December 2002 concluded that The Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia would become full members of the EU on 1st May 2004.

On 26th September 2006 the European Commission recommended that Romania and Bulgaria should join the European Union on 1st January 2007.

Who makes up the EU?

There are currently 25 members of the EU. Austria, Belgium, The Republic of Cyprus, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Who can join?

Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union states that: “Any European state… may apply to become a Member of the Union”.

What are the criteria for joining?

The Copenhagen European Council in 1993 agreed the following basic standards, often described as the “Copenhagen Criteria”, that all countries must meet before membership of the EU:

  • The existence of a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with market forces and competition within the EU (the Economic Criteria)
  • Stable institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities (the Political Criteria)
  • Adoption and implementation of the entire body of EU law (the acquis communitaire) and adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union

Contact

John Denbigh
Tel: 020 7215 6148
Email: john.denbigh@dti.gsi.gov.uk

John Swift
Tel: 020 7215 6076
Fax: 020 7215 2235
Email: john.swift@dti.gsi.gov.uk

 

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