What are the conditions for entering the European Union?

Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
What are the conditions for entering the European Union?

While the European Union has officially announced the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, we look back at the conditions for entering the European Union.

Three main criteria

To pretend join the European Unionit’s necessary meet a series of criteria defined by The European Council of Copenhagen in 1993 and confirmed by the Lisbon Treaty. Candidate countries must therefore:

  • respond to political criteria: that is to say to be a rule of lawwhich has a stable democratic system and protection of minorities.
  • respond to economic criteria : that is to say to possess a viable market economy and have the ability to face competition inside the Union.
  • to assume membership obligations : that’s to say subscribe to the objectives of political, economic and monetary union. And agree to transpose in national legislation all of European law in force.

There exists a fourth condition mentioned in the Copenhagen criteria: the EU absorption capacity. But this condition does not depend on the candidate State, but on the Union which must be ready to welcome in good conditions one or more new states.

And then? What are the terms?

When the candidate country meets all these criteria, it must get the candidate state status. The country sends its request to the Council of the European Union which grants or not this status, after consultation of the Commission and approval of Parliament.

Seven States currently have candidate state status : Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey, Serbia, Ukraine And Moldova.

If the response from the Council of the Union proves positive, a pre-accession strategy is implemented.

Then it comes to the stage of accession negotiations. They aim to ensure that the candidate state has been included in its legislation all European legislation and the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU.

When all these phases have passed, a accession treaty is signed between the Member States and the candidate State which then becomes a member state. But be careful! This treaty must be signed by the adhering State and above all by all Member Statesor 27 signatures, without exception. A single State can therefore block a membership. All of these steps can generally last several years.

Also read: Hungary threatened with sanctions: The European Union between two fronts (vl-media.fr)

Ukraine in the European Union?

If Ukraine was granted “candidate state” statustalks will not begin that when Brussels has studied Ukrainian laws to assess the reforms that kyiv will have to undertake to introduce into its legislation all European legislation.

For now, 26 EU countries seem be in agreement with the accession of Ukraine. The 27th, Viktor Orban’s Hungarycould well block the process. Also note among the complications, warWho makes the process very delicate. Ukraine does not seem not being able to join the EU if part of its territory is still occupied by the Russian army.

During the studies of the Council of the European Union, will be scrutinized the subjects of the fight against corruptionimportant in Ukraine, but also agricultural regulation or customs regulations.

Also read: What are the famous Caesar cannons at the center of the game in the war in Ukraine? (vl-media.fr)