Enlargement of the European Union
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria (after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993), which require a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual harmonisation of national laws.
See also
- Eastern Europe
- Eastern Partnership
- Enlargement of the eurozone
- Enlargement of NATO
- Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
- European integration
- Future enlargement of the European Union
- Treaty of Accession 2003
- Treaty of Accession 2005
- Treaty of Accession 2011
- Union for the Mediterranean
- Withdrawal from the European Union
- European Free Trade Association
- European Economic Area
- Schengen Area
- Switzerland–European Union relations
- Enlargement of Switzerland
