There are 27 countries that are currently members of the European Union, with a further eight in the process of joining. Being accepted for membership is an arduous, time-consuming and often costly process, but prospective candidates deem the effort and expense worthwhile for a range of economic, political and security reasons.
The procedure for gaining acceptance into the EU is complex and involves meeting a number of defined conditions and regulations. Satisfying all the necessary conditions, called the “Copenhagen criteria”, can involve a candidate country having to make a range of complicated adjustments to the country’s legal, political and economic systems but becoming a new European Union member state is an impossibility without implementing the necessary changes.
There are eight countries that have either satisfied the Copenhagen criteria or are in the process of doing so and these are:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Moldova
- North Macedonia
- Montenegro
- Albania
- Serbia
- Turkey
- The Ukraine
Two further candidates for EU membership are Georgia and Kosovo. Neither has fulfilled the necessary requirements but has begun the process.
The Copenhagen Criteria
The conditions outlined in the Copenhagen criteria must be satisfied before any country can be considered for membership in the European Union. A prospective member country must first submit an application to join to the European Council who, in turn, asks the European Commission to carry out an assessment of the candidate country’s ability to satisfy all qualifying criteria.
The rules and regulations that must be met are vast in number, but all are designed with specific goals in mind. Upon completion of the Copenhagen criteria, the prospective member country should have:
- A stable democratic government
- A legal system compatible with that in other EU member states
- A functioning and robust market economy
The new member should also agree to accept all current and future legislation governing the European Union area, as well as accept the euro as the standard unit of currency.
Satisfying the Copenhagen Criteria
Any European country may apply for membership of the European Union but this rule seems to be somewhat flexible. Morocco applied for membership of the European Communities (former name for the EU) but was deemed not to be a “European country” and the application rejected. Cyprus, however, despite being geographically located in Asia minor, was admitted to the EU in 2004. Technically, non-European countries may apply for membership and each application will be judged on its own merits and an application from countries such as Russia and the Balkan states may be considered although actual membership would be difficult to achieve due to the political and economic structures in these countries.
The conditions of the Copenhagen criteria are laid out in a 1993 declaration by the European Council and these cover three specific areas:
- Politics
- Economics
- Legislation
- Politics
A prospective country’s membership hinges on the political structure in that country and whether it is compatible with those in existing EU member states or can be modified to do so. The political situation is of prime importance and covers areas such as:
Democracy
Candidate countries should have a fully functioning democratic government with free elections on all important local and national matters. Civil rights should extend to:
- Establishment of political parties
- Equal and fair access to a free press
- Organisation of trade unions
- Freedom of opinion
And all of these must be free from any form of governmental interference.
Law
Candidate countries must follow a standard rule of law acceptable to the EU Commission whereby laws will be strictly adhered to with no arbitrary or unfair rulings in selected cases by the government or legal executive.
Human Rights
Human Rights. Basic human rights should apply to all citizens and are inalienable. These include the right to:
- Life
- Proper legal procedure
- Remain free from slavery
- Remain free from the threat of torture
All human rights are contained within the European Convention on Human Rights, which also covers the treatment of minorities, be they ethnic, religious or political. The “Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities” extends the same human rights for those people deemed to be “national minorities” in any country but fails to provide a clear definition of what constitutes a national minority, leaving this decision basically up to each member state.
Although a “national minority” may loosely refer to a section of the population with different ethnicity, religion or language this does not mean that every group will be recognised and this is particularly true of recently arrived immigrants, whether legal or illegal.
Economics
In order to meet the required economic criteria demanded, a candidate for EU membership must clearly demonstrate that the country has a functioning and streamlined market economy. The country should be able to compete fairly with other EU member states and allow for free trade between all European Union countries without bias or restrictions.
Potential member states must meet all the economic standards laid out in the Maastricht criteria which covers all aspects of financial management and national debt control. New members must be prepared to accept the euro as the national unit of currency (although there have been exceptions to this rule) and full members are entitled to representation in the European Central Bank or Eurogroup.
Legislation
Technically not part of the Copenhagen criteria, but still mandatory for EU membership, is the matter of legislative alignment. This means that a candidate country must operate a legislative system that is in accordance with the prevailing laws across the European Union.
The conditions which must be met are called the “acquis communautaire” of which there were originally thirty-one but has since grown to thirty-five. The conditions are called chapters and each one deals with a different area of legislative policy. Every chapter must be completed fully to the satisfaction of the EU Commission and progress is carefully monitored and assessed on a regular basis.
Completing the acquis communautaire can take many years but it is only when a candidate country is fully compliant that an application for full membership of the European Union can be considered.
Benefits of EU Membership
There are many advantages to being a full member of the European Union:
- Security: Because the European Union is basically one large state rather than a collection of different countries with differing political and economic values there is greater security across the continent of Europe. Security and police forces work in tandem to protect Europe as a whole from criminal activity and terrorist attacks.
- Stability: As all countries in the EU share the same basic principles of justice and law there is greater stability as the member states work with, rather than against, each other. There is less likelihood of conflict between member countries as each country depends on the other for trade, tourism and economic growth.
- Economic Advantages: Having easy access to one single market covering 27 countries is of tremendous economic benefit to all member states. It is easier to transport goods across international borders as these are largely redundant within the confines of the EU, which means less bureaucracy, paperwork, and wasted time.
While these are all significant benefits of EU membership, the biggest is the freedom of movement for people, which is conferred on its citizens by being a member of the European Union.
Freedom of Movement
The ordinary citizen of any EU country (and Schengen Area) enjoys the luxury of being able to travel between any of the member states with just a passport. There is no requirement for a visa of any kind or permission to travel, as will be the case when ETIAS comes into being in late 2023.
ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is a pre-screening of intending visitors to Europe and will soon become mandatory for all non-EU citizens who currently enjoy visa-free access to the greater European arena.
Completed online (or via a dedicated phone app), the ETIAS application process is very similar to a visa in that it seeks to determine if a visitor poses a security, criminal or terrorist risk to the EU. While most applicants should be granted an ETIAS with little difficulty, this may not be the case for those who have a past criminal conviction or history of visa infringements.
When introduced and mandatory sometime in 2024, the ETIAS requirement will not affect EU citizens but will impact other nationals who currently enjoy visa-free access to the EU. Countries affected include the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and others and also includes citizens of the United Kingdom as the Brexit agreement comes to its conclusion.
It should also be remembered that an ETIAS only permits the holder to visit the EU for specific purposes and for a limited amount of time. An ETIAS is only valid for a period of three years and the holder may only remain within the EU for a maximum of ninety days at one stretch. In addition, ETIAS holders may not seek employment while in the EU which is also a major drawback for many British citizens but it is a direct result of the United Kingdom’s decision to exit the European Union.
