Conditions of eligibility and procedure for accession to the Union

Latvia satisfies the political criteria for membership of the European Union.

4.3 The Committee believes that the formal fulfilment of the accession criteria should not be the sole purpose of the accession negotiations.

4.5 The Committee believes that the formal fulfilment of the accession criteria should not be the sole purpose of the accession negotiations.

The formal criteria for entry are contained in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which sets targets for government debt, budget deficits, inflation, interest rates, and exchange rates.

The accession negotiations can commence when the Copenhagen criteria have been met.

Its aim is to support Turkey in meeting the accession criteria.

2.2.1 According to the Monitoring Report, Romania continues to fulfil the political requirements for membership.

Criteria for membership, however, must be kept in mind right up until the negotiations have ended.

Both countries still need more time to meet the accession criteria.

No proper account is taken either of the increase in poverty and unemployment in the candidate countries. These social problems were caused by the policies adopted over the last 10 years in order to meet the criteria for accession.

Analyse Turkey's compliance with criteria for accession, as decided at the Copenhagen European Council.

I compliment the candidate countries on their efforts to conform to the stringent requirements for entry.

It was decided that these criteria should be met before accession negotiations could be begun.

The message to Bulgaria and Romania is clear enlargement will continue and the EU is open to European countries wishing to join which meet the requirements for membership.

There is a strong commitment to do what is necessary to meet criteria for accession and to undertake the required efforts.

It took it upon itself not only to meet EU membership criteria, but also push forward with other painful reforms.

2.3 Iceland complies fully with the political criteria for EU membership laid down by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993.

The Charter also sets out the Copenhagen criteria, which we consider to be fundamental in the membership negotiations.

Turkey is being encouraged to make more progress towards compliance with the accession criteria the famous Copenhagen criteria particularly in relation to human rights.

The Accession Partnership provides a framework for assessing Turkey's compliance with the political criteria, and thus for the next steps in dealing with its membership application.

It lays down what Turkey must do so that we can achieve the result that Turkey fulfils the political and other accession criteria.

Should the EU consider the accession criteria as having been fulfilled, it must decide to open negotiations in early 2005.

They will contain a detailed analysis of what progress the candidate countries have made in meeting the accession criteria and will be the basis for the Commission's recommendations on the countries which meet all the accession criteria.

In other words, Turkey will be able to obtain a date for commencing accession negotiations if and when Turkey fulfils the political criteria.

Relations between the Union and the candidate countries have gradually been strengthened through various procedures, association agreements, structured dialogue on a series of issues, accession criteria, accession negotiations and pre accession mechanisms and procedures.

In the past week it has emerged from the Czech Republic that the government has a very ambitious programme, namely that by June 2002 it wants to have met the accession criteria and therefore to regard the accession negotiations as closed.

Article 10 of the conclusions of the Helsinki Council Presidency states that Turkey must fulfil the general accession criteria, and in particular the Copenhagen criteria, if it is to become a Member of the European Union.

These circumstances are naturally covered by the political Copenhagen criteria, and it goes without saying that accession negotiations cannot be initiated until these criteria have been fulfilled to the letter.

Economic questions take centre stage during accession negotiations, while human rights issues are granted nowhere near the same importance.

The ten countries have succeeded, through their own efforts, in meeting the incredibly difficult and challenging criteria for accession to the European Union.

The Copenhagen criteria include the right to native language teaching and media, and must be a non negotiable condition for accession.

In Copenhagen, Turkey was given a specific date, and the prospect of the commencement of accession negotiations, subject to its fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria by that deadline.

After all, it is possible that the new Member States will attempt to meet the criteria for EMU membership as quickly as possible and in so doing will adhere closely to the criteria governing the Stability and Growth Pact.

They hold out the prospect of long term integration into the European Union on the basis of the Treaty of Amsterdam and in compliance with the Copenhagen criteria.

It is a sine qua non that these criteria are met before the accession negotiations can start, and we must never forget this.

A series of safeguard clauses were included in the Accession Treaty, in the event the acceding countries fail to implement commitments undertaken in the context of the accession negotiations, as well as a provision for the possible postponement of the date of accession by one year in the event of either state being manifestly unprepared to meet the requirements of membership.

Accession preparation and negotiations

Accession preparations and negotiations

Act of Accession

Application for Membership

In 2004, it will be assessed in detail and, after this, provided it meets the Copenhagen criteria, will be given a date for the start of its accession negotiations.

Adherence rates.

AN ACCESSION STRATEGY

Nominations