European Union

Countries wishing to join the European Union (EU) must meet a set of legal, economic and political requirements. The progress that a candidate country makes to implement EU law and fulfil these requirements is monitored during the ‘accession negotiation’ process. The European Parliament’s approval is needed before a country can join the EU.

Application and accession requirements

Any European country can apply for EU membership if it respects and undertakes to promote the values common to all EU countries, as defined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU).

Candidate countries must meet specific political and economic criteria, known as the Copenhagen criteria. These include:

• stable institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and the protection of minorities;
• a functioning market economy and the ability to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the EU;
• the ability to take on the obligations that come with EU membership and a commitment to the aims of the political, economic and monetary union.

Accession process

Application stage: A country that wishes to join the EU sends its application to the Council of the European Union, which asks the European Commission to submit an opinion.

Candidate status: If the Commission’s opinion is favourable, the Council may decide to grant the country candidate status. The Council must agree this unanimously.

Negotiations: The Commission carries out a detailed examination of 35 different policy fields (negotiating chapters), together with the candidate country, and either recommends opening negotiations immediately or asks for certain conditions to be met first. The Council then decides (by unanimity) to open negotiations, which take place between the governments of EU countries and the candidate country. Candidate countries may need to undergo a rigorous reform process, with a focus on the functioning of democratic institutions, judicial independence, media pluralism and the fight against corruption and organised crime.

Accession treaty: Once negotiations have been closed, an accession treaty containing the conditions and deadlines of membership is formally drawn up. The treaty is subsequently submitted to the Commission, the Parliament and the Council for approval. Each EU country and the candidate country must ratify (sign)  the accession treaty according to their own procedures.

European Parliament’s role

Parliament monitors the accession process throughout the negotiations with candidate countries. Specifically, the Committee on Foreign Affairs is responsible for coordinating the work on enlargement. The committee regularly exchanges views with the Commissioner responsible for enlargement negotiations, government representatives, experts and civil society actors.

Parliament gives its opinion on the annual Commission reports on individual candidate countries. It adopts resolutions on the accession process and comments on the progress of countries’ reforms.

Parliament also maintains bilateral relations with the parliaments of candidate and potential candidate countries through joint parliamentary committees and inter‑parliamentary meetings which take place once or twice per year.

Parliament’s budgetary powers give it direct influence over the financial aspects of accession, such as the EU funds allocated to support reforms in candidate countries (Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance).

Finally, Parliament must give its consent, by an absolute majority vote of more than half of all Members, before a country can join the EU (Article 49 TEU).

EU enlargement developments

As of early 2026, there are nine candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Albania and Montenegro have made significant progress on the EU accession path by closing certain negotiating chapters and promoting an anti‑corruption and reform agenda.

In the case of North Macedonia, the opening of the first negotiating chapter depends on constitutional reform, progress on the anti‑corruption agenda and improved relations with neighbouring Bulgaria and Greece.

Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Moldova successfully completed the examination of their alignment with EU law in 2025. Once all EU countries agree, the negotiating chapters can be opened.

As regards Serbia, political turmoil and reform stagnation have slowed down the negotiations on matters that remained unresolved.

Accession negotiations with Turkey have been on hold since 2018, as the Turkish government has failed to address backsliding on democracy and the rule of law. In May 2025, Parliament said that Turkey’s accession process could not be re-started under the current circumstances as the accession process requires the fundamental values of the Union to be fully respected.

Political instability and institutional challenges inBosnia and Herzegovina have halted the opening of formal negotiations.

In 2024, the EU found that Georgia was backsliding on the rule of law and fundamental rights and therefore conditions to open negotiations had not been met.

Kosovo applied to join the EU in December 2022 but has not been granted candidate status. In May 2025, Parliament called on the five EU countries [CJ1] (Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia) that have not yet recognised Kosovo to do so, so that Kosovo can progress its accession process.

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Im SPIEGEL-Talk diskutieren Richard David Precht, CDU-Politiker Roderich Kiesewetter und Iranexpertin Azadeh Zamirirad über die Zukunft des iranischen Volkes, den Flächenbrand in Nahost und den Schulterschluss von Friedrich Merz mit Donald Trump.

AMENDMENTS 89 - 575 - Draft opinion Establishing the European Competitiveness Fund ('ECF’), including the specific programme for defence research and innovation activities
Committee on Security and Defence
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Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

On 4 March 2026, European Council President António Costa was in Luxembourg where he delivered a speech at the EIB Group Forum.

Eurogroup President, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, gave a speech at the EIB Group Forum 2026.

The press briefing ahead of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Social policy) will take place on Thursday, 5 March 2026 at 11.00.

The Council agrees on a position on clearer, simpler CO₂-based EU road toll rules for heavy-duty vehicles ahead of 2026 standards.

Council adopts its negotiating position on the amended critical raw material act.

Simplification: Council agrees position to streamline EU rules on biocides by extending data protection period.

Kyriakos Pierrakakis, President of the Eurogroup, is travelling to Luxembourg where he will give a keynote speech at the EIB Forum.

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/383 of 17 February 2026 amending Decision 2011/101/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Zimbabwe.

The EU issued a statement on developments in Iran and the Middle East.

President Costa and President von der Leyen issued a joint statement on developments in Iran.

The EU issued a statement on the escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Weekly schedule of President António Costa, 2-8 March 2026.

Council reaches agreement on the research fund for coal and steel.

The Council expanded the scope of the EU Terrorist List to better address the continued threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism. The Council also reviewed and maintained all existing listings.

The EU and Angola issued a joint communiqué following the 7th EU-Angola ‘Joint way forward’ ministerial meeting on Thursday 26 February 2026 in Brussels.