The Future of Enlargement
The European Union now has 27 member states. On 1 January 2007, Bulgaria & Romania became the latest countries to join. Negotiations are underway with Croatia and Turkey, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been accepted as a candidate country.
The other countries of the Western Balkans, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia also hold EU aspirations. The Thessaloniki summit in June 2003 set out the region's EU perspective and identified the political and economic reforms to be implemented before accession negotiations can begin. The EU's policy framework that will deliver this is called the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP).
The negotiations will proceed at the pace dictated by each country's performance in meeting the rigorous standards, to ensure the smooth absorption of eventual new members.
Negotiations with Croatia may be concluded within a few years; those with Turkey are expected to take considerably longer.
For further information, please see the links below to both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and EU Commission's websites on Enlargement: