Accession negotiations

Accession negotiations relate to the conditions under which the country will be admitted to the EU and focus on the adoption and implementation of the EU’s body of law (the acquis). The aim is that the candidate country fulfils the conditions for membership, often referred to as the ‘Copenhagen criteria’. These criteria were defined at a European Council meeting in Copenhagen in 1993.

The Copenhagen criteria are the following.

1.
Political, requiring stable democratic institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and protection of minorities.
2.
Economic, requiring a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competitive forces in the EU.
3.
The ability to take on the obligations of membership.

Accession negotiations with a candidate country are launched after unanimous agreement by all Member States endorsed by the European Council. Negotiations take place in intergovernmental conferences between the governments of the EU Member States and that of the candidate country. Negotiations serve to help the candidate countries to prepare for EU membership.

When negotiations on all policy areas are completed, and the EU itself is satisfied that it is itself prepared for enlargement in terms of absorption capacity, the terms and conditions — including possible safeguard clauses and transitional arrangements — are incorporated in an accession treaty. This treaty needs the European Parliament’s consent and the Council’s unanimous approval before all EU Member States and the candidate country can sign it. The contracting parties then ratify it in line with their respective constitutional rules.