European%20Union%20of%2025

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European Union of 25
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Previous enlargementsThe EC started with 6
member States
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(I) Preparations Pre-accession Strategy

• Association Agreements
• Pre-accession partnership
• NPAA
• Opening of Community programmes and agencies for
  the applicant countries
• Annual reports from the European Commission
• Pre-accession Assistance (2000-2006)
• PHARE ( 1.500 million per year)
• ISPA ( 1.000 million per year)
• SAPARD ( 500 million per year)
• Co-financing from International Financial
  Organizations

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(II) Negotiation process The EU has initiated
accession negotiations with twelve new candidate
countries on 31 chapters

• 1. Free movement of goods
• 2. Freedom of movement for persons
• 3. Freedom to provide services
• 4. Free movement of capital
• 5. Company law
• 6. Competition policy
• 7. Agriculture
• 8. Fisheries
• 9. Transport policy
• 10. Taxation
• 11. Economic and monetary union
• 12. Statistics
• 13. Social policy and employment
• 14. Energy
• 15. Industrial policy
• 16. Small and medium-sized enterprises

• 17. Science and research
• 18. Education and training
• 19. Telecommunications and IT
• 20. Culture and audiovisual policy
• 21. Regional policy and structural instruments
• 22. Environment
• 23. Consumers and health protection
• 24. Justice and home affairs
• 25. Customs union
• 26. External relations
• 27. Common foreign and security policy
• 28. Financial control
• 29. Financial and budgetary provisions
• 30. Institutions
• 31. Other

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(II) Negotiation process Conditions for
membership

• European Council of Copenhagen (June 1993)
• 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 (known as the acquis communautaire
  which consists of 31 chapters) including
  adherence to the aims of political, economic and
  monetary union

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(II) Negotiation process

• The European Council of Copenhagen (Dec 2002)
• 13 years after the Berlin wall felt and almost 2
  years since the accession negotiations started
• Negotiations concluded with 10 countries (Cyprus,
  Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary,
  Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania).
  These countries become members of the EU the 1st
  of May 2004
• Bulgaria, Romania will continue negotiations, at
  least until 2007. Further progress should be
  done, specially regarding their judicial and
  administrative capacity.
• Turkey If the European Council in December 2004,
  decides that Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen
  political criteria, the European Union could
  start accession negotiations with Turkey in 2005.

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Situation in the EU of 25after May 2004

• Reforms
• - Institutional reforms IGC and new Constitution
• - Community Policies Reforms CAP, Regional
  policyetc
• Transitional measures
• - free movement of persons (possible
  restrictions, max. 7 years!)
• free movement of goods (license for medical
  devices and Pharmaceuticals)
• Free movement of services (e.g., for reaching
  minimum levels of guarantees for banking deposits
  or investor protection )
• - free movement of capital (acquisition of second
  residence and agriculture or forestry land) etc
• Single Currency none of the new members will be
  able to adopt the Euro before 2006
• Schengen accession to the European Union will
  not immediately lead to the lifting of internal
  border controls. Further external borders
  control.
• Safeguard measures temporary possible remedial
  actions in case of problems

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Future Enlargements of the EU???

• With the accession of ten new Member States to
  the European Union successfully accomplished, the
  European Council expressed its determination to
  continue the process it has engaged in with the
  candidate countries, while maintaining the
  momentum of European integration
• The accession of Bulgaria, Romania and in a
  future Turkey
• Western Balkans showed its intention at the
  Thessalonica Summit 2003. Stability and
  association process
• Croatia status of candidate country as an
  encouragement to the other countries of the
  Western Balkans to pursue their reforms!
• Macedonia submitted its application for
  membership in March 2004
• European Economic Area (?)

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European Council December 2004Romania Bulgaria

• Welcomed the successful completion of accession
  negotiations with
• Bulgaria initiated negotiations in Feb. 2000 and
  provisionally closed the 31 chapters on 15 June
  2004. Officially, negotiations concluded on 14
  December 2004
• Romania initiated negotiations in Feb. 2000 and
  closed all the chapters on 14 December 2004
• Considered that both will be able to enter the EU
  on 1 January 2007, but compliance with
  commitments will be closely monitored by
  Brussels provided that reform momentum is
  maintained and all commitments are completed in
  all areas
• Safeguard clauses will provide for measures to
  address serious problems that may arise, before
  accession or in the three years after accession,
  in particular in the areas of JHA, Competition
  and Environment
• Next steps
• Commissions Regular Monitoring reports
• Signature of Accession Treaty by 2005
• Accession to the EU January 2007

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Turkey Background towards accession

• Turkey applied for membership in 1987 and
  obtained the status of candidate country in
  1999.
• Commission presented on 6 October 2004
• -Commission regular Report significant progress
  towards compliance with political criteria
• -Recommendation Turkey fulfils the political
  criteria and recommends that accession
  negotiations be opened (2005) under some
  conditions
• legislation and implementation needs to be
  further consolidated and broadened
• in case of problem, the Commission will
  recommend the suspension of negotiations. The
  Council will decide by qualified majority
• -Impact study
• Pre-Accession Strategy- Financial assistance
  (2004-2006) 11 billion euros

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European Council December 2004Turkey

• The 25 European leaders decided to say yes to
  opening accession negotiations with Turkey, on
  the basis of the analysis of the European
  Commission
• - Negotiations will start on 3 October 2005
• - The goal of these negotiations is EU
  membership. The talks will have an open ended
  character, meaning that there is no guaranteed
  outcome
• - Turkey sufficiently fulfils the political
  criteria but the Council expects Turkey to
  actively pursue its efforts to bring into force"
  the six specific items of legislation already
  identified by the European Commission as crucial,
  as well as to implement the zero-tolerance policy
  relating to torture and ill-treatment.
• - the Council "welcomed the declaration of
  Turkey that 'the Turkish Government confirms that
  it is ready to sign the Protocol on the
  adaptation of the Ankara Agreement prior to the
  actual start of accession negotiations (delicate
  compromise on the issue of Cyprus).

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Croatia Background towards accession

• Application for membership in February 2003.
  Positive Commissions opinion (April 2004) on
  candidate status and the opening of
  negotiations ,welcomed by the European Council
  (June 2004)
• European Commission Strategy Paper 2004 (6
  October 2004) pre-accession strategy for Croatia
  (Financial assistance 105 M in 2005)
• Efforts are still needed in the fields of
  minority rights, judiciary reform, the fight
  against corruption and regional co-operation,
  enhance its co-operation with the International
  Tribunal in the Hague and bring former general
  Ante Gotovina to the tribunal
• A bilateral intergovernmental conference with
  Croatia early in 2005 was convened in order to
  begin negotiations

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European Council December 2004Croatia

• Negotiations with Croatia will conditionally
  begin on March 17th 2005, if it cooperates with
  the United Nations (UN) War Crimes Tribunal
  established for the former Yugoslavia. The
  Luxemburg Presidency , will decide whether or not
  Croatia has cooperated with the Tribunal
• It is expected that Croatia, with a population of
  about 4.5 million, will conclude its membership
  negotiations in 2007
• Date of accession still not defined
• Pre-Accession Strategy- Financial assistance
  (2005-2006) 105 million (80 million for
  Phare and 25 million for ISPA) in 2005
• and 140million in 2006 (80 million for Phare,
  35 million for ISPA, and 25 million for SAPARD)

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The Neighbourhood Policy of the EU

• Enlargement cannot -- and, I add, must not --
  be the only response to those who want to
  strengthen their links with the Union. R.
  Prodi.
• EU launched a new proximity policy aimed at
  creating a ring of friends on the enlarged EUs
  borders by enhancing relations with all of the
  EUs neighbours first and foremost Russia. The
  objective is to create a wider Europe,
  characterised by a single economic and social
  space, an area of stability and prosperity

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The Neighbourhood Policy of the EU

• Partners
• Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova
• Mediterranean partners Algeria, Egypt, Israel,
  Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia,
  as well as the Palestinian Authority
• inclusion of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/world/enp/index_en.htm
• National Action Plans (3-5 years)
• Alignement with EU standars
• Co-peration on EU policies
• - Dialogue on counter-terrorism
• Participation in EU Programmes
• - Co-operation on JHA