97-709: The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the European Union . The criteria require that a state has the institutions to preserve democratic governance and human rights , has a functioning market economy , and accepts the obligations and intent of the European Union . These membership criteria were laid down at the June 1993 European Council in Copenhagen , Denmark, from which they take their name. Excerpt from
194-522: A common foreign and security policy would be incompatible with that. With the end of the Cold War in 1989, that obstacle was removed, and the desire to pursue membership grew stronger. On 3 October 1990, the reunification of East and West Germany brought East Germany into the Community without increasing the number of member states. The Community later became the European Union in 1993 by virtue of
291-407: A privileged partnership for Turkey, membership for which has faced considerable opposition on cultural and logistical grounds. Notes: The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was proposed by Robert Schuman in his declaration on 9 May 1950 and involved the pooling of the coal and steel industries of France and West Germany . Half of the project states, Belgium , Luxembourg , and
388-679: A coordinated trade policy. As a result, its member states have jointly concluded free trade agreements with the EU and a number of other countries. To participate in the EU's single market, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway are parties to the Agreement on a European Economic Area (EEA), with compliances regulated by the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court . Switzerland has a set of multilateral agreements with
485-466: A decade, although some countries, notably Sweden, Finland, and Austria have been faster, taking only a few years. The process from application for association agreement through accession has taken far longer, as much as several decades (Turkey, for example, first applied for association in the 1950s and has yet to conclude accession negotiations). On 18 October 2019, France vetoed starting of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, citing problems with
582-656: A functioning market economy and that their producers have the capability to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union. The Euro convergence criteria and European Exchange Rate Mechanism have been used to prepare countries for joining the Eurozone , both founding and later members. Finally, and technically outside the Copenhagen criteria, comes the further requirement that all prospective members must enact legislation to bring their laws into line with
679-419: A right is inalienable, that means it cannot be bestowed, granted, limited, bartered away, or sold away (e.g. one cannot sell oneself into slavery). These include the right to life, the right to be prosecuted only according to the laws that are in existence at the time of the offence, the right to be free from slavery, and the right to be free from torture. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
776-559: A single market by 1992. The effect of this was that EFTA states found it harder to export to the EEC and businesses (including large EFTA corporations such as Volvo ) wished to relocate within the new single market making the downturn worse for EFTA. EFTA states began to discuss closer links with the EEC despite its domestic unpopularity. Austria , Finland , and Sweden were neutral in the Cold War so membership of an organisation developing
873-581: 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
970-400: A territory voted to leave the Community , when Greenland was granted home rule by Denmark and the territory used its new powers and voted to withdraw from the Community (see member state territories ). Morocco and Turkey applied for membership in 1987. Morocco's application was turned down as it was not considered European; Turkey's application was considered eligible on the basis of
1067-576: A whole. As part of the deal for British entry, France agreed to allow the EEC its own monetary resources. However France made that concession only as Britain's small agriculture sector would ensure that Britain would be a net contributor to the Common Agricultural Policy dominated EEC budget . Applying together with the UK, as on the previous occasions, were Denmark , Ireland, and Norway . These countries were so economically linked to
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#17327761226771164-604: Is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states : Iceland , Liechtenstein , Norway and Switzerland . The organization operates in parallel with the European Union (EU), and all four member states participate in the European single market and are part of the Schengen Area . They are not, however, party to the European Union Customs Union . EFTA
1261-797: Is affiliated to the EFTA Secretariat in Brussels. EFTA also originated the Hallmarking Convention and the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention , both of which are open to non-EFTA states. EFTA has 29 free trade agreements with non-EU countries as well as declarations on cooperation and joint workgroups to improve trade. Currently, the EFTA States have established preferential trade relations with 40 states and territories, in addition to
1358-739: Is considered the most authoritative formulation of human rights, although it lacks the more effective enforcement mechanism of the European Convention on Human Rights . The requirement to fall in line with this formulation forced several nations that recently joined the EU to implement major changes in their legislation, public services and judiciary. Many of the changes involved the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, or removal of disparities of treatment between different political factions. Members of such national minorities should be able to maintain their distinctive culture and practices, including their language (as far as not contrary to
1455-425: Is meant by "the rule of law". During the negotiations with each candidate country, progress towards meeting the Copenhagen criteria is regularly monitored. On the basis of this, decisions are made as to whether and when a particular country should join, or what actions need to be taken before joining is possible. The European Union Membership criteria are defined by the three documents: When agreed in 1993, there
1552-803: Is not an EEA member, it does not participate in these institutions. The EFTA Surveillance Authority performs a role for EFTA members that is equivalent to that of the European Commission for the EU, as "guardian of the treaties" and the EFTA Court performs the European Court of Justice -equivalent role. The original plan for the EEA lacked the EFTA Court: the European Court of Justice was to exercise those roles. However, during
1649-594: Is said to be closed when both sides have agreed it has been implemented sufficiently, however it can still be re-opened if the Commission feels that the candidate has fallen out of compliance. To assess progress achieved by countries in preparing for accession to the European Union, the European Commission submits regular reports (yearly) to the European Council . These serve as a basis for
1746-513: Is sufficient common ground to have constructive negotiations. Negotiations are typically a matter of the candidate country convincing the EU that its laws and administrative capacity are sufficient to execute European law, which can be implemented as seen fit by the member states. Often this will involve time-lines before the Acquis Communautaire (European regulations, directives and standards) has to be fully implemented. A chapter
1843-797: The Aftenposten newspaper: "It's not certain that it would be a good idea to let a big country into this organization. It would shift the balance, which is not necessarily in Norway's interests." In late 2016, the Scottish First Minister said that her priority was to keep the whole of the UK in the European single market but that taking Scotland alone into the EEA was an option being "looked at". However, other EFTA states have stated that only sovereign states are eligible for membership, so it could only join if it became independent from
1940-492: The Carnation Revolution and the consequential restoration of democracy and the decolonization of the country's overseas possessions. This followed a period of economic sanctions by most of the international community, which left Portugal economically underdeveloped compared to the rest of the western Europe . When Portugal left EFTA in 1985 in order to join the EEC, the remaining EFTA members decided to continue
2037-506: The Council will need to unanimously agree to start Kosovo's accession process by requesting an opinion from the European Commission on its application. The EU however remains divided on its policy towards Kosovo, with five EU member states not recognising its independence . According to the EU treaties , membership of the European Union is open to "any European State which respects
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#17327761226772134-609: The European Communities (the precursor to the European Union). The application was rejected on the grounds that Morocco was not considered to be a " European country " and hence could not join. In 2004, Cyprus joined the European Union despite being geographically located in West Asia . Although non-European states are not considered eligible to be members, they may enjoy varying degrees of integration with
2231-487: The European Union (EU). EFTA nationals and EU citizens are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries. The Citizens' Rights Directive (also sometimes called the "Free Movement Directive") defines the right of free movement for citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the three EFTA members Iceland , Norway and Liechtenstein plus
2328-681: The Faroe Islands from 1968. In mid-2005, representatives of the Faroe Islands raised the possibility of their territory re-joining the EFTA. Because Article 56 of the EFTA Convention only allows sovereign states to become members of the EFTA, the Faroes considered the possibility that the "Kingdom of Denmark in respect of the Faroes" could join the EFTA on their behalf. The Danish Government has stated that this mechanism would not allow
2425-461: The Isle of Man , Turkey , Israel , Morocco , and other European Neighbourhood Policy partners were discussed. In November 2012, after the Council of the European Union had called for an evaluation of the EU's relations with Andorra, Monaco, and San Marino , which they described as "fragmented", the European Commission published a report outlining the options for their further integration into
2522-438: The Maastricht Treaty , and established standards for new entrants so their suitability could be judged. The Copenhagen criteria stated in 1993 that a country must be a democracy, operate a free market , and be willing to adopt the entire body of EU law already agreed upon. Also in 1993 the European Economic Area was established with the EFTA states except Switzerland . Most of the new EEA states pursued full EU membership as
2619-644: The Netherlands , had already achieved a great degree of integration amongst themselves with the organs of Benelux and earlier bilateral agreements. These five countries were joined by Italy and they all signed the Treaty of Paris on 23 July 1952. These six members, dubbed the ' Inner Six ' (as opposed to the ' outer seven ' who formed the European Free Trade Association who were suspicious of such plans for integration) went on to sign
2716-486: The Treaties of Rome establishing two further communities, together known as the European Communities when they merged their executives in 1967. In 1962, Spain, ruled by the military dictator Francisco Franco , issued its first attempt to join the European Communities . Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Fernando María Castiella sent the request form to French Prime Minister Maurice Couve de Murville . This request
2813-402: The rule of law , human rights, respect for and protection of minorities , the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union. In December 1995,
2910-618: The " Outer Seven ", as opposed to the Inner Six of the then European Economic Community (EEC). Finland became an associate member in 1961 and a full member in 1986, and Iceland joined in 1970. The United Kingdom and Denmark joined the EEC in 1973 and hence ceased to be EFTA members. Portugal also left EFTA for the European Community in 1986. Liechtenstein joined the EFTA in 1991 (previously its interests had been represented by Switzerland). Austria, Sweden, and Finland joined
3007-472: The 1963 Ankara Association Agreement but the opinion of the Commission on the possible candidate status was by then negative. Turkey received candidate status in 1999 and began full membership negotiations in 2005, which were still in progress as of 2021. After the 1970s, Europe experienced an economic downturn which led to leaders launching of the Single European Act which set to create
Copenhagen criteria - Misplaced Pages Continue
3104-675: The 2004 enlargement of the European Economic Area (EEA), which brought together the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway in the Internal Market. In the period from 2004 to 2009, €1.3 billion of project funding was made available for project funding in the 15 beneficiary states in Central and Southern Europe. The EEA and Norway Grants are administered by the Financial Mechanism Office, which
3201-477: The 27 member states of the European Union . EFTA's interactive Free Trade Map gives an overview of the partners worldwide. Signed: Concluded: Negotiations: Negotiations currently on hold Declarations on cooperation The following agreements are no longer active: EFTA member states' citizens enjoy freedom of movement in each other's territories in accordance with the EFTA convention. EFTA & EEA nationals also enjoy freedom of movement in
3298-496: The Copenhagen Presidency conclusions: Membership requires that candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law , human rights, respect for and protection of minorities , the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on
3395-434: The Copenhagen criteria, comes the further requirement that all prospective members must enact legislation to bring their laws into line with the body of European law built up over the history of the Union, known as the acquis communautaire . Today the accession process follows a series of formal steps, from a pre-accession agreement to the ratification of the final accession treaty. These steps are primarily presided over by
3492-437: The EEA did not sufficiently satisfy the needs of their export based corporations. The EU has also preferred these states to integrate via the EEA rather than full membership as the EEC wished to pursue monetary integration and did not wish for another round of enlargement to occupy their attention. However, with the EEA's credibility dented following rejection by businesses and Switzerland, the EU agreed with full membership. This
3589-412: The EEC. Equally, the EEC was unsure about which way these countries were heading and wanted to ensure stability along its southern borders. However François Mitterrand initially opposed their membership fearing they were not ready and it would water the community down to a free trade area. Greece joined the EEC in 1981 followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986. The year 1985, however, saw the first time
3686-456: The EFTA countries (but for voting and working in sensitive fields, such as government / police / military, citizenship is often required, and non-citizens may not have the same rights to welfare and unemployment benefits as citizens). The Portugal Fund came into operation in February 1977 when Portugal was still a member of EFTA. It was to provide funding for the development of Portugal after
3783-640: The EFTA, was signed on 4 January 1960 in the Swedish capital by seven countries (known as the " Outer Seven ": Austria , Denmark , Norway , Portugal , Sweden , Switzerland and the United Kingdom ). A revised Convention, the Vaduz Convention, was signed on 21 June 2001 and entered into force on 1 June 2002. After 1995 only two founding members remained, namely Norway and Switzerland. The other five, Austria, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden and
3880-591: The EU (popularly referred to as " Brexit "), resulting in a 51.9% vote in favour of withdrawing. A 2013 research paper presented to the Parliament of the United Kingdom proposed a number of alternatives to EU membership which would continue to allow it access to the EU's internal market , including continuing EEA membership as an EFTA member state, or the Swiss model of a number of bilateral treaties covering
3977-424: The EU . They adopt almost all EU legislation related to the single market, except laws on agriculture and fisheries. However, they also contribute to and influence the formation of new EEA relevant policies and legislation at an early stage as part of a formal decision-shaping process . One EFTA member, Switzerland, has not joined the EEA but has a series of bilateral agreements, including a free trade agreement , with
Copenhagen criteria - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-674: The EU Customs Union in 2020. The most notable territorial reductions of the EU , and its predecessors, have been the exit of Algeria upon independence in 1962, the exit of Greenland in 1985, and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in 2020. Accession negotiations are currently ongoing with Montenegro (since 2012), Serbia (since 2014), Albania (since 2020), North Macedonia (since 2020), Moldova (since 2024) and Ukraine (since 2024). Negotiations with Turkey were opened in October 2005, but have been effectively frozen by
4171-674: The EU and its member states instead. On 12 January 1960, the Convention establishing the European Free Trade Association was initiated in the Golden Hall of the Stockholm City Hall . This established the progressive elimination of customs duties on industrial products, but did not affect agricultural or fisheries products. The main difference between the early EEC and the EFTA was that
4268-575: The EU in 1995 and thus ceased to be EFTA members. Twice, in 1972 and in 1994 , the Norwegian government had tried to join the EU (still the EEC, in 1973) and by doing so, leave the EFTA. However, both the times, the membership of the EU was rejected in national referendums, keeping Norway in the EFTA. Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009 due to the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis , but has since dropped its bid. Between 1994 and 2011, EFTA memberships for Andorra , San Marino , Monaco ,
4365-537: The EU since December 2016, due to backsliding in the areas of democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia were granted official candidate status respectively in December 2022 and December 2023, but were asked to complete additional reforms before qualifying for the formal start of membership negotiations. Kosovo submitted an application for membership in December 2022. For Kosovo to be granted official candidate status,
4462-510: The EU the same month to membership in May 2004. Ease of accession depends on the state: how integrated it is with the EU beforehand, the state of its economy and public institutions, any outstanding political issues with the EU and (historically) how much law to date the EU has built up that the acceding state must adopt. This outline also includes integration steps taken by the accession country after it attains membership. Enlargement has been one of
4559-424: The EU's successful foreign policies, yet has equally suffered from considerable opposition from the start. French President Charles de Gaulle opposed British membership. A later French President, François Mitterrand , opposed Greek, Spanish and Portuguese membership, fearing that the former dictatorships were not ready and that the countries' inclusion would reduce the union to a free-trade area. The reasons for
4656-762: The EU, set out by international agreements. This currently includes the European Neighbourhood Policy , Union for the Mediterranean , and a variety of other European Union Association Agreements and EU free trade agreements . Non-EU European states are also participating (with or without the goal of eventual EU membership) in the Stabilisation and Association Process , Eastern Partnership , European Free Trade Association , EU-Russia Common Spaces , and Northern Dimension . Functional democratic governance requires that all citizens of
4753-552: The EU. The following table summarises the various components of EU laws applied in the EFTA countries and their sovereign territories. Some territories of EU member states also have a special status in regard to EU laws applied as is the case with some European microstates . A Joint Committee consisting of the EEA-EFTA States plus the European Commission (representing the EU) has the function of extending relevant EU law to
4850-486: The EU. Unlike Liechtenstein, which is a member of the EEA via the EFTA and the Schengen Agreement , relations with these three states are based on a collection of agreements covering specific issues. The report examined four alternatives to the current situation: However, the Commission argued that the sectoral approach did not address the major issues and was still needlessly complicated, while EU membership
4947-495: The EU. The last two governments of Norway have not advanced the question, as they have both been coalition governments consisting of proponents and opponents of EU membership. Since Switzerland rejected the EEA membership in a referendum in 1992 , more referendums on EU membership have been initiated, the last time being in 2001 . These were all rejected. Switzerland has been in a customs union with fellow EFTA member state and neighbour Liechtenstein since 1924. On 16 July 2009,
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#17327761226775044-469: The European Commission ( Enlargement Commissioner and DG Enlargement ), but the actual negotiations are technically conducted between the Union's Member States and the candidate country. Before a country applies for membership it typically signs an association agreement to help prepare the country for candidacy and eventual membership. Most countries do not meet the criteria to even begin negotiations before they apply, so they need many years to prepare for
5141-617: The European Union (EU), including Croatia which the agreement is provisionally applied to, pending its ratification by all contracting parties. It was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement with the European Economic Community (which had become the European Community two months earlier). It allows the EFTA-EEA states to participate in the EU's Internal Market without being members of
5238-614: The Faroes to become a member of the EEA because Denmark was already a party to the EEA Agreement. The Faroes already have an extensive bilateral free trade agreement with Iceland, known as the Hoyvík Agreement . The United Kingdom was a co-founder of EFTA in 1960, but ceased to be a member upon joining the European Economic Community. The country held a referendum in 2016 on withdrawing from
5335-528: The Madrid European Council revised the membership criteria to include conditions for member country integration through the appropriate adjustment of its administrative structures: since it is important that European Community legislation be reflected in national legislation, it is critical that the revised national legislation be implemented effectively through appropriate administrative and judicial structures. Finally, and technically outside
5432-487: The Soviet Union would no longer intervene in other countries' internal affairs ( Sinatra Doctrine ), practically freeing Central and Eastern Europe from Soviet occupation (Czechoslovakia and Hungary) / Soviet backed authoritarian regimes. These countries wanted to consolidate their democracies through joining Western world international organisations (including participation in European integration ) which would ensure
5529-725: The UK that they considered it necessary to join the EEC if the UK did. However the Norwegian government lost a national referendum on membership and hence did not accede with the others on 1 January 1973. Gibraltar joined the Community with the United Kingdom at this point, as can be seen in the long title of the UK European Communities Act 1972 . The next enlargement would occur for different reasons. The 1970s also saw Greece , Spain , and Portugal emerge from dictatorship. These countries desired to consolidate their new democratic systems by binding themselves into
5626-473: The UK, unless the solution scouted for the Faroes in 2005 were to be adopted (see above). In early 2018, British MPs Antoinette Sandbach , Stephen Kinnock and Stephen Hammond called for the UK to rejoin EFTA. In 1992, the EU, its member states, and the EFTA member states signed the Agreement on the European Economic Area in Porto , Portugal. However, the proposal that Switzerland ratify its participation
5723-482: The United Kingdom, had joined the EU at some point in the intervening years. The initial Stockholm Convention was superseded by the Vaduz Convention, which aimed to provide a successful framework for continuing the expansion and liberalization of trade , both among the organization's member states and with the rest of the world. While the EFTA is not a customs union and member states have full rights to enter into bilateral third-country trade arrangements, it does have
5820-500: The acquis has been split further into 35 chapters. Enlargement of the European Union 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 (named after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993), which require
5917-504: The addition of its poorer 17 million people and, while keeping its monetary union project on track, it was still at that early stage pointing the EFTA countries in the direction of the EEA rather than full membership. States in Central and Eastern Europe persisted and eventually the above-mentioned issues were cleared. The US also pressured the EU to offer membership as a temporary guarantee; it feared expanding NATO too rapidly for fear of frightening Russia. Although eventually trying to limit
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#17327761226776014-412: The body of European law built up over the history of the Union, known as the acquis communautaire . In preparing for each admission, the acquis is divided into separate chapters, each dealing with different policy areas. For the process of the fifth enlargement that concluded with the admission of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007 , there were 31 chapters. For the talks with Croatia , Turkey and Iceland
6111-435: The commission's opinion (The council has only once rejected the commission's opinion when the latter advised against opening negotiations with Greece). If the Council agrees to open negotiations the screening process then begins. The commission and candidate country examine its laws and those of the EU and determine what differences exist. The Council then recommends opening negotiations on "chapters" of law that it feels there
6208-485: The council to make decisions on negotiations or their extension to other candidates. Once the negotiations are complete, a Treaty of Accession will be signed, which must then be ratified by all of the member states of the Union, as well as the institutions of the Union, and the candidate country. Once this has been completed it will join the Union on the date specified in the treaty. The entire process, from application for membership to membership has typically taken about
6305-518: The country should be able to participate, on an equal basis, in the political decision making at every single governing level, from local municipalities up to the highest, national, level. This also requires free elections with a secret ballot , the right to establish political parties without any hindrance from the state, fair and equal access to a free press , free trade union organisations, freedom of personal opinion, and executive powers restricted by laws and allowing free access to judges independent of
6402-453: The current enlargement process. In November 2019, France proposed a seven-stage accession plan for membership. The reformed accession strategy proposes participation in different programs, such as Erasmus, Banking Union, Capital Markets Union, Customs Union, etc. The following is an example of the accession process—Estonia's path to membership from its restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in November 1991 with recognition from
6499-465: The early 1970s. The United Kingdom, which had refused to join as a founding member, changed its policy following the Suez crisis and applied to be a member of the Communities. Other EEC members were also inclined to British membership on those grounds. French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed British membership. Once de Gaulle had left office, the door to enlargement was once again opened. The EEC economy had also slowed down and British membership
6596-440: The end of 2013 detailing the implications of the two viable alternatives and recommendations on how to proceed. As EEA membership is currently only open to EFTA or EU member states, the consent of existing EFTA member states is required for the microstates to join the EEA without becoming members of the EU. In 2011, Jonas Gahr Støre , then Foreign Minister of Norway which is an EFTA member state, said that EFTA/EEA membership for
6693-433: The executive. The rule of law implies that government authority may only be exercised in accordance with documented laws, which were adopted through an established procedure. The principle is intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary rulings in individual cases. Human rights are those rights which every person holds because of their quality as a human being; human rights are inalienable and belonging to all humans. If
6790-495: The first member states to apply, and for them to be accepted, were primarily economic while the second enlargement was more political. The southern Mediterranean countries had just emerged from dictatorships and wanted to secure their democratic systems through the EEC, while the EEC wanted to ensure the same thing and that their southern neighbours were stable and aligned to NATO. These two principal forces, economic gain and political security, have been behind enlargements since. After
6887-440: The government of Iceland formally applied for EU membership, but the negotiation process was suspended in mid-2013, and in 2015 the foreign ministers wrote to withdraw its application. Denmark was a founding member of EFTA in 1960, but its membership ended in 1973, when it joined the European Communities . The autonomous territories of the Kingdom of Denmark were covered by Denmark's EFTA membership: Greenland from 1961 and
6984-508: The gradual harmonisation of national laws. The EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community , was founded with the Inner Six member states in 1958, when the Treaty of Rome came into force. Since then, the EU's membership has grown to twenty-seven, with the latest member state being Croatia , which joined in July 2013. The most recent territorial enlargement of the EU was the incorporation of Mayotte in 2014. Campione d'Italia joined
7081-555: The human rights of other people, nor to democratic procedures and rule of law), without suffering any discrimination. A Council of Europe convention, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (treaty No. 157) reflected this principle. But the Convention did not include a clear definition of what constituted a national minority. As a result, some signatory states added official declarations on
7178-520: The large enlargements in 2004, public opinion in Europe turned against further expansion. It has also been acknowledged that enlargement has its limits; the EU cannot expand endlessly. Former Commission President Romano Prodi favoured granting "everything but institutions" to the EU's neighbour states, allowing them to co-operate deeply while not adding strain on the EU's institutional framework. This has in particular been pushed by France and Germany as
7275-404: The latter did not operate common external customs tariffs unlike the former: each EFTA member was free to establish its individual customs duties against, or its individual free trade agreements with, non-EFTA countries. The founding members of the EFTA were: Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. During the 1960s, these countries were often referred to as
7372-690: The matter: A consensus was reached (among other legal experts, the so-called groups of Venice) that this convention refers to any ethnic, linguistic or religious people that defines itself as a distinctive group, that forms the historic population or a significant historic and current minority in a well-defined area, and that maintains stable and friendly relations with the state in which it lives. Some experts and countries wanted to go further. Nevertheless, recent minorities, such as immigrant populations, have nowhere been listed by signatory countries as minorities concerned by this convention. The economic criteria, broadly speaking, require that candidate countries have
7469-460: The member states of the EU . Switzerland , which is a member of EFTA but not of the EEA, is not bound by the Directive but rather has a separate multilateral agreement on free movement with the EU and its member states. As a result, a citizen of an EFTA country can live and work in all the other EFTA countries and in all the EU countries, and a citizen of an EU country can live and work in all
7566-471: The microstates provided their joining did not impede the functioning of the organization. However, he suggested that the option of direct membership in the EEA for the microstates, outside of both the EFTA and the EU, should be considered. On 18 November 2013, the EU Commission concluded that "the participation of the small-sized countries in the EEA is not judged to be a viable option at present due to
7663-437: The microstates was not the appropriate mechanism for their integration into the internal market due to their different requirements from those of larger countries such as Norway, and suggested that a simplified association would be better suited for them. Espen Barth Eide , Støre's successor, responded to the commission's report in late 2012 by questioning whether the microstates have sufficient administrative capabilities to meet
7760-530: The negotiations for the EEA agreement, the European Court of Justice ruled by the Opinion 1/91 that it would be a violation of the treaties to give to the EU institutions these powers with respect to non-EU member states. Therefore, the current arrangement was developed instead. The EEA and Norway Grants are the financial contributions of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to reduce social and economic disparities in Europe. They were established in conjunction with
7857-436: The newly emerged democracies would not fall back under Russian control. The EU and NATO offered a guarantee of this, and the EU was also seen as vital to ensuring the economic success of those countries. However, the EU's desire to accept these countries' membership applications was less than rapid. The collapse of communism came quickly and was not anticipated. The EU struggled to deal with the sudden reunification of Germany with
7954-441: The non-EU members. An EEA Council meets twice yearly to govern the overall relationship between the EEA members. Rather than setting up pan-EEA institutions, the activities of the EEA are regulated by the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court . The EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court regulate the activities of the EFTA members in respect of their obligations in the European Economic Area (EEA). Since Switzerland
8051-765: The number of members, and after encouragement from the US, the EU pursued talks with ten countries and a change of mind by Cyprus and Malta helped to offset slightly the influx of large poorer member states from Central and Eastern Europe. Europe Association Agreement signing date Start of accession negotiations Population in 1998 1998 GDP ($ billions) 1998 GDP (PPP) per capita Real GDP in 1998 (1989=100) Real wage in 1998 (1989=100) Real gross industrial output in 1998 (1989=100) European Free Trade Association in Europe (green & dark grey) The European Free Trade Association ( EFTA )
8148-550: The obligations of EEA membership. However, he stated that Norway would be open to the possibility of EFTA membership for the microstates if they decided to submit an application, and that the country had not made a final decision on the matter. Pascal Schafhauser, the Counsellor of the Liechtenstein Mission to the EU, said that Liechtenstein, another EFTA member state, was willing to discuss EEA membership for
8245-505: The obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union. Most of these elements have been clarified over the last decade by legislation and other decisions of the European Council , the European Commission and the European Parliament , as well as by the case law of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights . However, there are sometimes conflicting interpretations in current member states, especially regarding what
8342-432: The political and institutional reasons", and that Association Agreements were a more feasible mechanism to integrate the microstates into the internal market. The Norwegian electorate had rejected treaties of accession to the EU in two referendums. At the time of the first referendum in 1972, their neighbour, Denmark joined. Since the second referendum in 1994, two other Nordic neighbours , Sweden and Finland, have joined
8439-546: The process. An association agreement helps prepare for this first step. In the case of the Western Balkans , a special process, the Stabilisation and Association Process exists to deal with the special circumstances there. When a country formally applies for membership, the Council asks the commission to prepare an opinion on the country's readiness to begin negotiations. The council can then either accept or reject
8536-516: The provisions of the Treaty of Nice . Article 49 (formerly Article O) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) or Maastricht Treaty states that any European country that respects the principles of the EU may apply to join. Countries' classification as European is "subject to political assessment" by the Commission and, more importantly, the European Council . In 1987, Morocco applied to join
8633-627: The provisions of the single market. In the first meeting since the Brexit vote, EFTA reacted by saying both that they were open to a UK return, and that Britain has many issues to work through. The president of Switzerland Johann Schneider-Ammann stated that its return would strengthen the association. However, in August 2016 the Norwegian Government expressed reservations. Norway's European affairs minister, Elisabeth Vik Aspaker , told
8730-579: The values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them" ( TEU Article 49 ). Those Article 2 values are "respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities." This is based on the 1993 " Copenhagen criteria " agreed as it became clear many former Eastern Bloc countries would apply to join: Membership requires that candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy,
8827-411: Was dismissed in the near future because "the EU institutions are currently not adapted to the accession of such small-sized countries". The remaining options, EEA membership and a FAA with the states, were found to be viable and were recommended by the commission. In response, the Council requested that negotiations with the three microstates on further integration continue, and that a report be prepared by
8924-432: Was historically one of the two dominant western European trade blocs , but is now much smaller and closely associated with its historical competitor, the European Union . It was established on 3 May 1960 to serve as an alternative trade bloc for those European states that were unable or unwilling to join the then European Economic Community (EEC), the main predecessor of the EU. The Stockholm Convention (1960), to establish
9021-433: Was more readily accepted with the prospect of poorer countries wishing to join; contributions from richer countries would help balance the EU budget. On 1 January 1995 Austria , Finland , and Sweden acceded to the EU marking its fourth enlargement. The Norwegian government lost a second national referendum on membership. In the late 1980s (shortly prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union ) Mikhail Gorbachev announced
9118-478: Was no mechanism for ensuring that any country which was already an EU member state was in compliance with these criteria. However, arrangements have now been put in place to police compliance with these criteria, following the "sanctions" imposed against the Austrian government of Wolfgang Schüssel in early 2000 by the other 14 Member States' governments. These arrangements came into effect on 1 February 2003 under
9215-452: Was rejected by all the member countries in 1964; Spain was not a democracy at the time, and thus unable to enter the EEC. The Community did see some loss of territory due to the decolonialisation occurring in their era. Algeria , which was an integral part of France, had a special relationship with the Community. Algeria gained independence on 5 July 1962 and hence left the Community. There would be no further efforts at enlargement until
9312-492: Was rejected by referendum. (Nevertheless, Switzerland has multiple bilateral treaties with the EU that allow it to participate in the European Single Market , the Schengen Agreement and other programmes). Thus, except for Switzerland, the EFTA members are also members of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA comprises three member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and 27 member states of
9409-439: Was seen as a way to revitalise the community. Only after a 12-hour talk between British Prime Minister Edward Heath and French President Georges Pompidou took place did Britain's third application succeed. After Britain was accepted Prime Minister Edward Heath said: For my part, I have no doubt at all that the discussions which we have had will prove of real and lasting benefit, not only to Britain and France, but to Europe as
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