States colour-shaded according to entry (darkest being earliest)

The European Union originally consisted of six member states. It has since grown to 25 member states, and even more states plan to join: two new members in 2007 with even more after that. All in all a union of more than 30 states is fully within reach. This process is known as the European integration. In order to join the Union, a state needs to fulfill the economic and political conditions generally known as the Copenhagen criteria (after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993).

Past enlargements

For details see History of the European Union.

• In 1950, the French-German politician Robert Schuman presented his proposal of a united Europe, known as the Schuman declaration, which is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union.

• In 1951, a forerunner of the EU, the European Coal and Steel Community, was founded by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (the Benelux countries) and (West) Germany, France and Italy.

• In 1958 the six ECSC countries formed the European Economic Community which became the European Community and then the European Union.

• In 1973, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark joined.

• In 1981, Greece joined.

• In 1986, Spain and Portugal joined.

• In 1990, East Germany joined West Germany (see German reunification), adding the former East Germany to the union. This increased the area and population of the union, but not the number of member states.

• In 1995, Austria, Sweden and Finland joined.

• In 2004, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined.

Official candidates for membership

Scheduled 2007 enlargement

Diagram showing the population and GNP per capita of EU member states and candidates

Bulgaria and Romania have been recommended to join the EU on January 1, 2007. These dates were firmly set at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003 and confirmed a year later at Brussels on June 18, 2004. The country reports of October 2004 also confirmed the January 1 2007 date of accession for both Bulgaria and Romania.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria is set to join the EU in 2007. Bulgaria has already taken steps to integrate itself with the EU, including unilaterally linking its currency to the Euro (Lithuania and Estonia also did this before entry). It closed entry negotiation talks in June 2004 and received confirmation from the EU that it would join in 2007 as planned.

Romania

On 8 December 2004, Romania closed the last remaining chapters of the acquis communautaire (that is the EU's body of law) and so concluded the accession negotiations with the EU. It is set to sign a common Accession Treaty with Bulgaria in the spring of 2005 and join the EU in 2007.

However, before becoming a full member Romania must fulfill all its outstanding promises and reforms agreed during the negotiation phase. A safeguard clause has been included that gives the EU the possibility of delaying entry to Romania (and Bulgaria) for one year if commitments made by these countries are not met. It is believed that Romania's accession is more likely to require such a delay than Bulgaria's.

Negotiated post-2007 enlargement

Croatia

Croatia applied for EU membership on 21 February 2003. The European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. At the European Council on 18 June 2004, the heads of governments of the European Union granted candidate country status to Croatia. At the summit of December 20, 2004, the EU leaders decided that Croatia will start negotiations on March 17, 2005, provided that it continues cooperating with the ICTY.

The EU officials mentioned the possibility of joining at the same time as Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, although it depended mainly on Croatia's fulfillment of the conditions for joining. Croatia has been aiming for membership in 2007 alongside Romania and Bulgaria, although this is unlikely because it would have to break Slovakia's record of 2.5 years of negotiations to complete the process (finalise all 31 chapters of the acquis communautaire and sign the Accession Treaty). A more realistic date circulated by EU officials has been 2009.

After Slovenia, Croatia has recovered best from the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and so hopes to become the second former Yugoslav state to become a member. It has a stable market economy and better statistical indicators than some of the states that joined in 2004. However, Croatia's EU bid may be hampered with several mainly political problems, most of which are remnants of the break-up of Yugoslavia.

The relations with the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal have repeatedly been cited by the EU officials as something that requires further improvement, and some EU countries had stalled the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with Croatia because of this.

There are also long-standing border issues with Slovenia: a series of border incidents have happened and they threaten Slovenia's support for Croatia's accession, but the otherwise good trade relations between the two countries have so far precluded such a thing.

Before starting negotiations with Croatia, the acquis communautaire was split up further, into 36 instead of 31 chapters. The new chapters are usually areas previously part of the agricultural policy that are expected to be troublesome as they were with all other applicant countries.

Turkey

Main article: Accession of Turkey to the European Union

The status of Turkey with regard to the EU has become a matter of major significance and considerable controversy in recent years. Turkey has been an Associate Member of the EU and its predecessors since 1963, formally applied in 1987 and was recognised as a candidate in 1999. On December 17th, 2004 an EU summit concluded that membership negotiations with Turkey will be opened on October 3rd, 2005.

Arguments in favor of Turkey joining include the belief that this would strengthen democratic institutions in Turkey, strengthen the EU economy, and reward Turkey for its strong and consistent pro-NATO stance. Proponents also argue that it abides all conditions for accession. Some believe that the EU cannot refuse Turkey anymore as it has had an open candidacy for 40 years now.

Arguments against Turkey's accession are diverse. Firstly, only a small fraction of Turkish territory lies in Europe. More importantly, Turkey refuses to recognise Cyprus, a current EU member, and it is waging an economic war against Armenia. Many opponents also argue that Turkey's current government still does not respect many of the key principles of the secular democracy because it maintains discrimination against non-Muslims, women and ethnic minorities, and that it appears unwilling to fully respect the EU rules and values.

Future enlargement applicants and possibilities

At present the EU is very interested in the Balkans and their integration. After their integration it is likely that Turkey would be the next focus. As Heather Grabbe of the Centre for European Reform puts it, "Belarus is too authoritarian, Moldova too poor, Ukraine too large and Russia too scary for the EU to contemplate offering membership any time soon." [1] (http://www.economist.com/agenda/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=2628212) So it is logical to assume that once the Balkans have a place in the union enlargement will be a much smaller topic. With Ukraine's recent (2004) "Orange Revolution" and Georgia's recent (2003) "Rose Revolution" which have led to reform programmes, however, there may still be an open door for both Ukraine and the South Caucasus.

Balkans

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was reasonably close to applying to join the EEC at the end of 1980s — it was already on a higher level than some member countries like Greece and Portugal. However, it was still a communist state, though with a relatively benign regime when compared with Soviet satellites. Finally, the civil war stopped the integration.

At the Thessaloniki summit in 2003, the integration of the western Balkans was set as the next major goal of future EU expansion. A further meeting in Mamaia, Eastern Romania, concluded that "Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania are (hopefully able) to join the EU between 2010 and 2015" depending on their fulfillment of the adhesion criteria. This summit was attended by two EU members (Austria and Germany), five countries that have since joined the EU (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia) and nine EU hopefuls (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine).

Republic of Macedonia

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia applied to become an official candidate on 22 March 2004. The EU will probably reply on whether the accession negotiation will start in 2005.

The FYROM will probably have to resolve its disputes with Greece (over the name Macedonia), or at least reduce them, before talks can begin. The republic also faces an Albanian problem similar to Serbia's, although it still maintains sovereignty over all its territory. Macedonian officials have suggested that it could join between 2010 and 2015.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina still has many economic as well as political problems. Recently it has been making a slow but steady progress, so the outlook is good.

The Union may show some leniency regarding its economy due to the political issues at stake. Romano Prodi has stated that Bosnia has a chance of joining the EU soon after Croatia, somewhere around 2010, but that it is entirely dependent on local progress and that it may be delayed until 2014 or even later.

Serbia and Montenegro

Serbia and Montenegro may join separately because of economic disputes between the two republics, which still have to settle the decision of whether to continue in a union (around 2006).

Serbia has to deal with the ethnic tensions in the region of Kosovo as well as poverty in the south of Serbia and widespread corruption. Montenegro is having ecological problems and problems with law and crime. Serbia and Montenegro started the reform process in 2000.

The European Commission and the government of Serbia and Montenegro are currently planning to prepare the country for joining in 2012, together with Bosnia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Albania

Albania's accession to the Union depends on its economic improvement and resolution of border disputes. Given its comparatively recent engagement with Western European politics, it is impossible to predict when it may join but it hopes to do so within a decade. Its entry has been set as a priority by the European Commission so as to stabilise the Balkans. It hopes to join with the rest of the Balkans between 2010-2015.

European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

Switzerland

Switzerland took part in negotiating the EEA agreement with the EU, but a Swiss referendum in 1992 rejected EEA membership. Further referenda (the last on March 4, 2001) have shown a majority against EU membership. It is thought that the fear of a loss of neutrality and independence is the key issue against membership. EU membership however is a "long-term aim" of the Federal Council. The Swiss federal government policy has recently undergone substantial U-turns in policy, however, concerning specific agreements with the EU on freedom of movement for people, workers and areas concerning tax evasion have been addressed within the Swiss banking system. This was a result of the first Switzerland-EU summit in May 2004 where nine bilateral agreements were signed. It has allegedly "moved Switzerland closer to the EU" [2] (http://www.europa.admin.ch).

Norway

Norway, like most other Scandinavian states, is reluctant to surrender sovereignty to a supranational entity. The Norwegian government also wishes to keep control of fishery resources in their territorial waters. Norway has applied twice for EEC and EU membership, but the two referenda on the issue in 1972 and 1994 have been lost by the government. In late 2004, Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik suggested that the debate about joining the EU might be restarted in 2007.

Thorbjørn Jagland has proposed that Norway and Iceland should prepare a common strategy before launching membership negotiations with the EU. His Icelandic counterpart has expressed agreement.

Iceland

Iceland has never applied for EU membership but is already associated with the union through the EEA where it has access to the Single market, Iceland is also a member of the Schengen treaty.

Application for EU membership is not on the current centre-right government's agenda and none of the political parties have explicitly expressed that Iceland should join the union. The Left-Green Movement has been firmly opposed to membership and the same goes for the conservative Independence Party, a member of the ruling coalition, although its chairman Davíð Oddsson indicated in a speech in January 2005 that a policy change was not ruled out depending on how the EU will evolve in coming years.

Fear of losing control over the fishery resources in its territorial waters is the single largest issue keeping Iceland reluctant to join the EU, also a large issue for Norway. Since these two countries have so much in common it is generally expected that they would join together as it would not be easy for Iceland to be the only Nordic country to remain outside the EU. Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson of the Progressive Party is regarded as willing to start working on negotiation strategies, however a policy change within the Independence Party or a different government would be needed before membership negotiations could start.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein, is (like Norway and Iceland) a member of the European Economic Area. It might consider joining the EU if Switzerland joined. If it attained membership it would be by far the smallest member state of the European Union -- this might require a significant rearrangement of voting arrangements in the European Parliament.

European Microstates

As for the other very small European microstates, such as San Marino, Andorra and Monaco, it is unlikely that they will ever join, as their very existence as sovereign nations is tightly bound up with their special economic laws, which are not compatible with EU standards. In the case of Andorra, however, a future accession to the EU is not entirely impossible, should either Andorra reform their fiscal system or the EU reform its stance on interaction with microstates [3] (http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/archives/99/andorra/2.html). The Vatican City is also unlikely to join the EU due to its unique status.

Despite the fact that Europe's microstates will probably remain politically separated from the EU for the forseeable future, their economies have always been tightly related with their neighbours, and all of the microstates (save Liechtenstein, which uses the Swiss franc), use the Euro currency.

The Caucasus states

These states have been the site of much conflict in 1990s. Currently, there seems to be an overwhelming feeling of hope in the region's future. Their membership in the EU would be controversial as they are often considered to be politically in Europe but not geographically. They have contributed to European culture and the EU has been said to express interest in their integration and the hope to end war in Europe and increase prosperity.

The Caucasus states are, however, closely linked with Russia and would need to concentrate more on their European partners to attain candidate membership. It is unclear as to when they may join but they are part of the EU Neighbourhood policy and are often reffered to as part of "a wider Europe". Since their only land contact with existing EU states is through either Russia or Turkey, it is possible that they could only join after Turkey did so. Greece, a member since 1981, has no land links with the rest of the EU, and will not until both Romania and Bulgaria have joined, though Greece is considerably closer to the rest of the union and unencumbered by powerful neighbours like Russia in between.

Georgia

Georgia has recently undergone substantial reforms. Under Georgia's new president Mikhail Saakashvili, the wish to join the EU has been explicitly expressed on several occasions and the links to the EU and the USA are being strengthened. Disputes continue over South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In Ajaria, the authoritarian leader Aslan Abashidze was forced to resign in May 2004.

Georgia is the most favoured Caucasus country to join the EU, but territorial disputes and corruption are still an issue. It has not, as yet, applied for EU membership but the President has said the country would be ready in three years time -- however it is uncertain if the EU would be. Sometime after 2015 is a reasonable estimate but it is debatable whether any estimate can be made at this stage.

Armenia

Armenia is still in conflict over the disputed area Nagorno-Karabakh with neighbouring Azerbaijan. A ten year ceasefire has been in place, but tensions are high, and with Azeri military spending on the increase, there is fear a war could be at hand. The country's economy is growing, but at an incredibly slow pace. Foreign investors are said to be extremely wary. Armenia is also in the embarrassing position of losing 20% of its population in recent years to hopes of a better life abroad.

Whilst Armenia shares European culture, it has not expressed the wish to join the EU, although public opinion suggests the move for membership would be welcomed. It will have to resolve disputes and battle corruption. The Metsamor nuclear power plant, which is sited some 40km west of the Armenian capital Yerevan, is built on top of one of the world's most active seismic zones and so would have to be closed for any contemplation of their joining. Recently Armenia has told the EU they will not close the plant, which has lead to the freezing of €100m worth of aid by the EU and deterioration of the Armenia-EU relationship. No speculation into Armenia's dates of membership can currently be made but of all the nations of the Caucasus it is the least favoured due to fewer natural resources and its close relationship with Russia.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a predominantly Muslim country and is not thought to share a lot with European culture. Conflict over the disputed area Nagorno-Karabakh would need to be resolved. Its military spending is becoming somewhat of an alarm to the EU which wishes to ease tensions in the area. The oil-rich country has made improvements to its infrastructure but much of the money does not seem to find its way into its fragile economy.

The recent presidential elections in Azerbaijan were disputed by the opposition and have been criticized for being not entirely democratic, free or fair by international observers. This is one of the main obstacles ahead of a possible EU application from Azerbaijan, although it has not expressed wishes to join the EU but, if it did, one can assume that integration would be long delayed. It would most likely face difficulties similar to Turkey's. Azerbaijan's chances of membership would be however greatly increased if Georgia joined first.

Eastern Europe

Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, which are or have been closely linked to Russia, will probably remain outside the Union, at least for a significant amount of time. All belong to the CIS and planned furthur integration into an EU-like model would hinder European aspirations. They are not currently on any enlargement agenda as the Union is currently focused on the Balkan states and Turkey but after this inevitable enlargement it is probable that they will be the logical next wave of enlargement. A summit in Mamaia, Eastern Romania, in May 2004 has shown this to be the case, though only Ukraine and Moldova were present as Belarus is currently not concerned with membership. (Also note that the EU's Neighbourhood Policy includes these three states.)

Ukraine

Most political factions of Ukraine advocate joining the EU and developing ties with Europe. However many in the EU are more doubtful concerning Ukraine's prospects. In 2002, EU Expansion Commissioner Gunter Verheugen said that "a European perspective" for Ukraine does not necessarily mean membership in 10 or 20 years, however, that does not mean it is not a possibility. A Ukraine-EU Troika meeting in April 2004, on the eve of the newest wave of expansion, dealt a blow to Ukraine's European aspiration when the EU ministers failed to grant market economy status to Ukraine.

For the time being, Ukraine will most likely develop some sort of intermediate relation with the EU as it is strongly backed by all major political forces in Poland, an EU member with strong historical ties with Ukraine (through the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth).

The Orange Revolution of late 2004, however, significantly improved Ukraine's European prospects: Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko hinted that he would press the EU for deeper ties, and described a four-point plan: the acknowledgement of Ukraine as a market economy, entry in the World Trade Organization, associate membership with the European Union, and lastly full membership. [4] (http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=24&aid=17977) In a similar way, the Ukrainian government asked Brussels to give Ukraine a clearer prospect for membership, saying that "The approved Action Plan reflects only the level of Ukraine-EU relations that we could have reached before the presidential elections in 2004" [5] (http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=24&aid=18004)

On January 13, 2005 the European Parliament almost unanimously (467 votes to 19 in favour) passed a motion stating the wish of the European Parliament to establish closer ties with Ukraine with the possibility of EU membership. Though there is still a long way to go before negotiations about EU membership can start, the European Commission has stated that future EU membership will not be ruled out. Yushchenko has responded to the appathetic mood of the commission by explaining that he intends to send an application for EU membership "in the near future" and that he intends to scrutinise Ukraines relationship with the CIS economic union in order to assure EU integration is possable and if not to make it possable. This would force the EU to think carefully over how to respond as a negative reply could cause Ukraine to abandon the path of reform and anti-corruption. Several EU leaders have already stated support for such a bid including, most prominantly, Poland and Germany.

Moldova

Moldova currently has little hope of joining, since it is not only hampered by poverty but currently leaning more towards Russia (through the CIS) than the EU and facing political problems in Transdniester and only recently (1995) resolved problems in ethinically seperate Gagauzia. Its relationship with Romania, which is set to soon become a EU member, has also been strained, with Moldova publicly accusing Romania in various aspects. The prospect of union with Romania is constantly an issue, even though many people are expecting this not to happen. If Romania joins the EU in 2007, which is likely, and Moldova unifies with the country later, it could automatically become part of the EU just as East Germany joined the EU when it reunified with West Germany in 1990. Chances of this happening, though, are very slim. If Moldova were to continue as an independent state, it could at best join the EU in 2020 with Ukraine and Belarus, even though the most likely scenario is either no membership at all, some form of associate membership, or full membership after 2030. The government has stated that Moldova has European aspirations but there has been little progress. On May 1, 2004 many EU enthusiasts waving the EU flags found their flags confiscated by police and some were arrested under the clause of "anti-nationalism." If people were to hold a revolution such as those held in Georgia and Ukraine it may grab the attention of the Europeans but at present it remains the poorest country in Europe with rampant corruption and a, saddly, booming trade in people.

Belarus

Belarus is thought to be too authoritarian to join the EU, having been often called the last dictatorship in Europe. It has a fairly high standard of living in comparison to Moldova and Ukraine, but private business is virtually non-existent. Foreign investors stay away and even Moscow has shown signs of exasperation in recent years. If conditions remain the same, it is unlikely that Belarus will ever join the EU.

However, a large Belarusian student group Zubr have linked themselves to Otpor, Kmara and Pora, all movements which helped to oust rulers in a peaceful revolutionary manner. If dictatorship were replaced by democracy, as is becoming an increasing trend in countries previously part of the USSR and/or communist, membership would quite likely be a final aim of the Union as well as the country.

Russia

At present, the prospect of Russia joining any time in the near future is slim.

Under the new voting system proposed in the draft EU Constitution Russia would cause a huge imbalance within the union due to its large population. It also faces the problem in that its territory is mostly in Asia, similar to Turkey (although unlike Turkey, most major population centres, and the centres of power, are in European Russia).

The gap between the rich and the poor is extremely large, the economy needs improvement and corruption is also a major issue. Added to this the view by some European states that Russia is fueling conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transdniester for its own gain make any prospect of membership very slim.

Russia is also thought to be too authoritarian. Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have recently declared the Russian press to be controlled. Human rights continue to be an issue and the suspicion cast on Russia after years of communism is still vast. There are also numerous disputes within the Federation, especially in Chechnya.

Russian relationships with Europe and the USA have improved with a NATO-Russia pact being proposed as well as EU support for WTO membership and EU-Russia bilateral meetings, but the Kaliningrad exclave is still an issue as well as the fact that Russia has not yet ratified treaties recognising the terratorial integrity of Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia. Should Russia apply to join, steps similar to Turkey's would have to be followed. The earliest it could join would be the year 2020, although at this stage, any speculation on its entry remains very premature.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has a portion of its territory in Europe, but at present, there are no signs of it joining at any time. This subject is not even remotely discussed.

Currently Kazakhstan is not even member of the Council of Europe. The reason for that is the lack of democracy and the weak human rights. The governing regime is regarded as somewhat authoritarian.

Kazakhstan is mostly regarded as a Central Asian country. The population is split nearly 50:50 between Muslim Kazakhs (majority) and Christian Russians and others. The economy of Kazakhstan is closely linked to the Russian economy. Even geographically, its land connection to Europe goes through Russia. So it can be assumed that Kazakhstan could join the EU only with or after Russia (if it ever does so). Of course, this can not be a formal condition.

The more important conditions are the democratization of the political system, the adoption of free market policies and the willingness of government and people to join the EU, as currently, they may not even imagine such a possibility.

Dependencies

See Special member state territories and their relations with the EU for more information about their current status.

In theory, the EU treaty covers the European territories for whose external relations a Member State is responsible. In practice this only applies to Gibraltar, and it is not part of the Customs Union. The Åland Islands also have a special status and are part of the EU.

European dependencies

The British crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man might be said to be in a position similar to many of the microstates in Europe. Their economies are often based on special economic laws incompatible with EU standards. They and the UK sovereign base areas on Cyprus were excluded from the EC when the UK joined in 1973.

The Faroe Islands, a Danish dependency, would be reluctant to join due to the economic significance of its fishery and the need to retain control of those resources in their territorial waters, much like Norway and Iceland. It was excluded when Denmark joined in 1973.

Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland, has adopted several unique measures with the EU regarding travel for its citizens to and from the rest of Russia. Currently it could only join if Russia did, but there are several independence movements within the enclave. Alternatively Russia and the EU can negotiate some special relationship between EU and this region (like the special status of one German-Swiss border town) - but currently it is very unlikely that the central Moscow authorities will allow for a border/enclave region to have special priviledged relations with another state.

Overseas dependencies

The overseas dependent and autonomous territories of the member countries often have a special status relative to the European Union. In some cases territories not even on the European continent belong to the EU, even as integral rather than dependant territories (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla) yet there are other cases where the European dependencies of member countries are not part of the union. It is fully possible that these could leave or join the union, even though not as full members in their own right.

Greenland

The Danish dependency Greenland was an integral part of Denmark when the country joined in 1973. In 1979 Greenland was granted home rule and following a local referendum it left the European Community, on February 1, 1985. The EC was the predecessor of the European Union and Greenland is unique as an example of a territory having left the organization. Greenland is unlikely to ever rejoin as it becomes increasingly independent, leading to closer integration with its geographical North American neighbours.

Other entities

Although the Sovereign Order of Malta is recognized by some countries as a sovereign subject of international law, its precise nature (e.g. the question of statehood) is disputed and it has no territory. Malta itself is already an EU member.

Micronations like the self styled Principality of Sealand will almost certainly never join. Sealand's very status as a country is disputed at best, and it is not recognized by any European Union nation or indeed by any member of the United Nations.

Beyond Europe

In the Treaty of Maastricht (Article 49), it is stated that any European country that respects the principles of the European Union may apply to join. No mention is made of enlarging the EU to include non-European countries, but the precedents with turning off Morocco's application and speaking about Israel's closest integration, "just short of full membership" show that currently for non-European states it is impossible to get EU membership.

However, some non-European states have different degrees of integration with the EU stipulated by agreements, always short of membership. The current frameworks for development of such agreements are the Barcelona process and the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Southern Mediterranean (Maghreb) states

Tunisia entered into an Association Agreement with the European Union in 1995 which started removing tariffs and other trade barriers on most goods in the 1998-2008 period. Once the free trade area is fully functional, the status of Tunisia with regards to the EU will be similar to the present status of Norway and Iceland. However, no further involvement is planned beyond that point.

Morocco has submitted applications to join the EU several times, but it has been turned down since it is not considered a European country. Other factors such as the developing economy or unresolved border issues with several of its neighbours and the occupation of Western Sahara are hindering even adoption of other policies like those applied to Tunisia (path to closest possible integration without full membership).

Israel

The Israeli government has hinted several times that a EU membership bid is a possibility. It is unknown whether talks will begin, given the current instability in the Middle East. How Israel's Law of Return would interact with the free migration of citizens within Europe is also an unresolved issue.

As in the cases of Tunisia and Morocco, the status of being geographically outside Europe will preclude its inclusion as full member into the EU as well, but it can get a large degree of integration through the current and future EU Neighbourhood Policies - the Spanish foreign minister Moratinos spoke out for a 'privileged partnership, offering all the benefits of EU membership, without participation in the institutions'). On 11 January 2005, industry commissioner and vice president of the commission Günter Verheugen even suggested the possibility of a monetary union and common market with Israel.

See also

• Treaty of Accession 2003
• Chronological overview of the countries bordering the European Union
• Statistics relating to the EU enlargement

External links

• EU enlargement website (http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/index_en.html)
• BBC News: inside Europe: EU enlargement (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/europe/2003/inside_europe/default.stm)
• Caucaz.com : Weekly online publishing interviews and reports about the New Neighborhood Policy in EU about South Caucasus. Available in English and French (http://www.caucaz.com/home_uk)

de:EU-Erweiterung es:Ampliación de la Unión Europea fr:Élargissement de l'Union européenne lt:Europos Sąjungos plėtra nds:Upnohm vun niege EU-Länners pt:Alargamento da União Europeia ro:Extinderea Uniunii Europene zh:欧盟扩大