   #copyright

List of European Union member states by accession

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography;
Recent History

   ██ The European Union as a single entity. (world map)
   Enlarge
   ██ The European Union as a single entity. ( world map)

   This is a list of European Union member states, their dates of
   application and accession. It shows the growth of the European Union
   and its predecessors through enlargement from six members in 1952 to
   twenty-five in 2004 and twenty-seven members in 2007; as of 2006, at
   least seven (possibly even more) are expected to join in its future.

   The European Union per se was created on 1 November 1993 when the
   Treaty on European Union came into effect. Twelve of the current 25
   member states joined one of the Union's predecessors, either the
   European Coal and Steel Community (which came into existence on 23 July
   1952 and ceased to exist exactly 50 years later), the European Economic
   Community (which came into existence on 1 January 1958), or the
   European Community (which came into existence on 1 July 1967 as a
   merger of ECSC, EEC and the European Atomic Energy Community, and is
   one of the three pillars of the European Union today).

Candidate countries

   ██ current members ██ acceding countries ██ candidate countries
   ██ potential candidate countries ██ application frozen ██ application
   rejected by EC ██ accession rejected in a referendum (world map)
   Enlarge
   ██ current members ██ acceding countries ██ candidate countries
   ██ potential candidate countries ██ application frozen ██ application
   rejected by EC ██ accession rejected in a referendum ( world map)

   In addition to the current twenty-five member states, a number of other
   European states will join the European Union in the next two decades.
   Bulgaria and Romania have already finished accession negotiations and
   will join on 1 January 2007. The ratification process of the Treaty of
   Accession 2005, which forms the legal framework for the accession of
   Bulgaria and Romania, was completed on 2006- 11-24 when the German
   Bundesrat voted in favour.

   Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Turkey are officially candidate
   countries; Croatia and Turkey are currently in accession negotiations,
   while negotiations with the Republic of Macedonia are expected to start
   in 2007. The remaining states in the Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and
   Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, including Kosovo under United
   Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999) are
   officially "potential candidate countries", which means they have a
   clear perspective for accession over the course of the next decade.

   The European Union's Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn originally
   stated that the next enlargement after Bulgaria and Romania would only
   happen after 2010, due to the European Union's need to sort out its
   institutional problems first, the European Commission's President José
   Manuel Durão Barroso later stated that the provisions in the Treaty of
   Nice were clear enough; while he considered institutional reform
   necessary, it was not intended to be a stumbling bloc for countries
   seeking to join the European Union. However, on 25 September 2006 (the
   day before the accession date of Bulgaria and Romania was officially
   made public), Barroso stated that a new treaty would be necessary
   before further enlargement could occur.

   The official logo of the accession of Croatia to the European Union.

   The official logo of the accession of the Republic of Macedonia to the
   European Union.

   The official logo of the accession of Turkey to the European Union.

Countries who failed to join or left

   The flag of the Council of Europe and the European Union.
   Enlarge
   The flag of the Council of Europe and the European Union.

   Not all accession attempts have been successful, though, and on one
   occasion a territory even left the European Union (then European
   Community).
     * While Norway had completed European Community/European Union
       accession negotiations twice already (with the proposed accession
       dates having been 1 January 1973 and 1 January 1995, respectively),
       the accession failed both times when the Norwegians rejected
       membership in referenda (on 25 September 1972 and 28 November
       1994).
     * The Danish autonomous territory of Greenland initially joined the
       European Community together with Denmark, but left on 1 February
       1985 after it had acquired home rule and had held a referendum on
       the issue.
     * Morocco applied to join in 1987, but was rejected by the European
       Council because it was not considered a European country and
       therefore not eligible to join. (Interestingly, the Copenhagen
       criteria had not yet been formally agreed upon at that time.)
     * Although Switzerland applied to join in 1992, it froze its
       application after accession to the European Economic Area was
       rejected in a referendum on 6 December 1992.

Future prospects

   ██ member states ██ membership is declared goal ██ membership under
   discussion (world map)
   Enlarge
   ██ member states ██ membership is declared goal ██ membership under
   discussion ( world map)

          See also: Armenia and the European Union, Cape Verde and the
          European Union, Georgia and the European Union, Iceland and the
          European Union, Israel and the European Union, Moldova and the
          European Union, and Ukraine and the European Union
          This section is incomplete. You can help by adding information
          about the current situation in the European microstates Monaco
          and Vatican City, as well as in associated territories
          (especially Greenland).

   It is generally assumed that even with the accession of the states of
   southeastern Europe, the process of enlargement will not be finished.

   European countries

   Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have stated they would like to
   join the European Union; however, the European Union's response was
   lukewarm at best. European Union membership is also the subject of
   political debate in Andorra, Azerbaijan, the Faroe Islands, Iceland,
   Liechtenstein and San Marino, and the debates in Norway and Switzerland
   are also still ongoing. While Belarus and Russia are also seen as
   eligible to join, and while accession to the European Union enjoys
   public support in Belarus, the lack of democratic structures makes
   these countries' accession impossible in the short term, especially as
   the European Union is supporting the Belarussian opposition and civil
   society in peacefully overthrowing Alexander Lukashenko's regime, which
   it regards as dictatorial, going so far as to offer concrete benefits
   for democratic reforms. Furthermore, the European Union is trying to
   bind Russia more strongly to its own policies and goals through
   partnership and cooperation agreements.

   Non-European countries

   Although the Treaty of Maastricht states that only European countries
   may apply, a number of countries not generally considered European have
   also considered membership bids.

   The island nation of Cape Verde, part of the island region Macaronesia
   (which is comprised of Cape Verde, the Portuguese islands of the Azores
   and Madeira and the Spanish Canary Islands) has stated it wishes to
   join the European Union. Israel has considered applying for membership;
   while the European Union and Israel share a common culture, history and
   society, the ongoing Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and
   Israel's location in one of the most conflict-ridden regions of the
   world would be major arguments against its accession. Finally, even
   Canada's accession has occasionally been proposed, though often rather
   in a tongue-in-cheek manner; the main arguments used are the very
   similar cultural standards and viewpoints on matters of international
   law, especially when juxtaposed with those of the United States. None
   of the three countries is a member of the Council of Europe, which is a
   de facto prerequisite for membership under the Copenhagen criteria and
   the Treaty of Maastricht.

   It is generally expected that the states of southeastern Europe will be
   the next states to join the European Union, and that it will still take
   some time for Iceland, Norway and Switzerland to join, since public
   opinion is not yet in favour in those three states. On 19 May 2006,
   Olli Rehn said that he expected Iceland to join the European Union
   before Croatia would; he went back on his statement when he stated on 1
   December 2006 that Croatia would likely become the European Union's
   28^th member state.

Listed by accession date

   # State Accession Special territories
   1–6 Flag of Belgium  Belgium 23 July 1952 ( ECSC)
   1 January 1958 ( EEC) —
   Flag of France  France
   incl. Flag of French Guiana  French Guiana, Flag of Guadeloupe
   Guadeloupe, Flag of Martinique  Martinique, Flag of Réunion  Réunion
     __________________________________________________________________

   excl. Flag of French Polynesia  French Polynesia, Flag of New Caledonia
    New Caledonia, Flag of Wallis and Futuna  Wallis and Futuna
   excl. Flag of French Southern Territories  French Southern Territories,
   Flag of Mayotte  Mayotte, Flag of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
   Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
   Flag of Italy  Italy —
   Flag of Luxembourg  Luxembourg —
   Flag of Netherlands  Netherlands
   excl. Flag of Aruba  Aruba, the Flag of Netherlands Antilles
   Netherlands Antilles
   Flag of West Germany   West Germany —
   7–9 Flag of Denmark  Denmark 1 January 1973 ( EC)
   excl. the Flag of Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands, Flag of Greenland
   Greenland (see above)
   Flag of Republic of Ireland  Ireland —
   Flag of United Kingdom  United Kingdom
   incl. Flag of Gibraltar  Gibraltar
     __________________________________________________________________

   excl. Flag of Guernsey  Guernsey, Flag of Jersey  Jersey, the Flag of
   Isle of Man  Isle of Man
   excl. Akrotiri and Dhekelia
   excl. Flag of Bermuda  Bermuda, the Flag of Turks and Caicos Islands
   Turks and Caicos Islands
   excl. Flag of Anguilla  Anguilla, the Flag of British Virgin Islands
   British Virgin Islands, the Flag of Cayman Islands  Cayman Islands,
   Flag of Montserrat  Montserrat
   excl. the Flag of Falkland Islands  Falkland Islands, the Flag of
   Pitcairn Islands  Pitcairn Islands, Flag of Saint Helena  Saint Helena
   excl. the Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory  British Indian Ocean
   Territory, Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  South
   Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
   10 Flag of Greece  Greece 1 January 1981 (EC) —
   11–12 Flag of Portugal  Portugal 1 January 1986 (EC) —
   Flag of Spain  Spain —
   13–15 Flag of Austria  Austria 1 January 1995 —
   Flag of Finland  Finland
   incl. Flag of Åland  Åland Islands
   Flag of Sweden  Sweden —
   16–25 Flag of Cyprus  Cyprus 1 May 2004
   excl. Akrotiri and Dhekelia ( de iure and de facto)
   excl. Flag of Cyprus  Cyprus area not under its effective control, the
   UN Buffer Zone (de facto)
   Flag of Czech Republic  Czech Republic —
   Flag of Estonia  Estonia —
   Flag of Hungary  Hungary —
   Flag of Latvia  Latvia —
   Flag of Lithuania  Lithuania —
   Flag of Malta  Malta —
   Flag of Poland  Poland —
   Flag of Slovakia  Slovakia —
   Flag of Slovenia  Slovenia —
   26–27 Flag of Bulgaria  Bulgaria 1 January 2007 —
   Flag of Romania  Romania —
   TBD Flag of Croatia  Croatia in accession negotiations —
   Flag of Turkey  Turkey —
   Flag of Republic of Macedonia  Republic of Macedonia candidate country
   —
   Flag of Albania  Albania potential candidate country —
   Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bosnia and Herzegovina —
   Flag of Montenegro  Montenegro —
   Flag of Serbia  Serbia —

Listed by application date

   # State Application Result/status
   — Flag of Belgium  Belgium — founding members
   Flag of France  France
   Flag of Italy  Italy
   Flag of Luxembourg  Luxembourg
   Flag of Netherlands  Netherlands
   Flag of West Germany   West Germany
   1 Flag of Republic of Ireland  Ireland 1^st: 31 July 1961
   2^nd: 11 May 1967 1^st: withdrawn after Charles de Gaulle vetoed the
   United Kingdom's application
   2^nd: joined 1 January 1973
   2–3 Flag of Denmark  Denmark 1^st: 10 August 1961
   2^nd: 11 May 1967
   Flag of United Kingdom  United Kingdom 1^st: 10 August 1961
   2^nd: 10 May 1967 1^st: vetoed by Charles de Gaulle on 14 January 1963
   2^nd: joined 1 January 1973
   4 Flag of Norway  Norway 1^st: 30 April 1962
   2^nd: 21 July 1967
   3^rd: 25 November 1992 1^st: withdrawn after Charles de Gaulle vetoed
   the United Kingdom's application
   2^nd: withdrawn after a referendum on 25 September 1972
   3^rd: withdrawn after a referendum on 28 November 1994
   5 Flag of Greece  Greece 12 June 1975 joined 1 January 1981
   6 Flag of Portugal  Portugal 28 March 1977 joined 1 January 1986
   7 Flag of Spain  Spain 28 July 1977
   8 Flag of Turkey  Turkey 14 April 1987 candidate country, in accession
   negotiations
   9 Flag of Morocco  Morocco 20 July 1987 rejected by the European
   Council (see geographic criteria)
   10 Flag of Austria  Austria 17 July 1989 joined 1 January 1995
   11–12 Flag of Cyprus  Cyprus 3 July 1990 joined 1 May 2004
   Flag of Malta  Malta
   13 Flag of Sweden  Sweden 1 July 1991 joined 1 January 1995
   14 Flag of Finland  Finland 18 March 1992
   15 Flag of Switzerland  Switzerland 25 May 1992 frozen after EEA
   membership was rejected in a referendum on 6 December 1992
   16 Flag of Hungary  Hungary 31 March 1994 joined 1 May 2004
   17 Flag of Poland  Poland 5 April 1994
   18 Flag of Romania  Romania 22 June 1995 acceding country, to join 1
   January 2007
   19 Flag of Slovakia  Slovakia 27 June 1995 joined 1 May 2004
   20 Flag of Latvia  Latvia 13 October 1995
   21 Flag of Estonia  Estonia 24 November 1995
   22 Flag of Lithuania  Lithuania 8 December 1995
   23 Flag of Bulgaria  Bulgaria 14 December 1995 acceding country, to
   join 1 January 2007
   24 Flag of Czech Republic  Czech Republic 17 January 1996 joined 1 May
   2004
   25 Flag of Slovenia  Slovenia 10 June 1996
   26 Flag of Croatia  Croatia 21 February 2003 candidate country, in
   accession negotiations
   27 Flag of Republic of Macedonia  Republic of Macedonia 24 March 2004
   candidate country
   TBD Flag of Albania  Albania not yet potential candidate country,
   Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) signed on 12 June 2006;
   yet to be ratified by Albania, all twenty-five EU member states and the
   European Parliament (compare this for ratification progress)
   Flag of Montenegro  Montenegro potential candidate country, in SAA
   negotiations since 10 October 2005 (as part of Serbia and Montenegro),
   mandate for separate negotiations confirmed on 24 July, negotiations
   restarted on 26 September 2006, negotiations finished 1 December 2006
   Flag of Serbia  Serbia potential candidate country, in SAA negotiations
   since 10 October 2005 (as Serbia and Montenegro), suspended since 3 May
   2006 over non-arrest of Ratko Mladić, mandate for separate negotiations
   confirmed on 24 July without lifting the suspension
   Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bosnia and Herzegovina potential
   candidate country, in SAA negotiations since 25 October 2005,
   conclusion only possible after police reforms have been carried out

Timeline

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