Slides for Lecture Notes #3
The process of enlargement and negotiations
 Previous enlargements:
1973
1981
1986
1995
Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom
Greece
Portugal and Spain
Austria, Finland and Sweden
 Present enlargements are special
 Stages of enlargement
o Application to the Council
o Commission’s Opinion
o Council decides unanimously to open negotiations
o Negotiations are opened
o Commission proposes, the Council adopts
unanimously negotiation positions
o Union, Applicant: Draft Accession Treaty
o Treaty submitted to the Council and the EP
o The Commission’s opinion on the Accession Treaty
o EP -- assessment to the Accession Treaty (by an
absolute majority)
o Council approves the Treaty unanimously
o Member States, Applicant: sign the Accession
Treaty
o Member States and the applicant ratify the
Accession Treaty
The acquis
o The Treaties
o Legislation adopted + ECJ case law
o Statements and resolutions
o International agreements
o Internal agreements (between MSs)
Chapters
1. Free Movement of Goods
2. Freedom of Movement for Persons
3. Freedom to Provide Services
4. Free Movement of Capital
5. Company Law
6. Competition Policy
7. Agriculture
8. Fisheries
9. Transport Policy
10. Taxation
11. Economic and Monetary Union
12. Statistics
13. Employment and social policy
14. Energy
15. Industrial Policy
16. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
17. Science and Research
18. Education and Training
19. Telecom and IT
20. Culture and Audiovisual Policy
21. Regional policy and co-ordination of structural
instruments
22. Environment
23. Consumer protection
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
Justice and Home Affairs
Customs Union
External Relations
Common Foreign and Security Policy
Financial Control
Finance and Budgetary Provisions
Institutions
Other
Conduct of negotiations
 Based on the EU founding Treaties
 Acquis must be adopted in full
 Transition periods
 Procedure:
o Negotiators
o Based on merit
o Applicant: Position Paper (per chapter)
o Commission: Draft EU position
o Council: Approves EU position (unanim.)
o Chapter opened
o Agreement Chapter closed
o EP approves Treaty, Cand. Parl. Ratifies
A candidate’s position
 Accession vs. transition
 Firms and State financial sit.
 Country’s int’l relations
 ‘National interest’ (Swedish tobacco)
 Domestic political sit.
 Short trasit. periods could be dangerous
 Difficult chs: agric, environ, migration
Opinions
 Preface
 Political criteria
 Economic criteria
 Ability to assume obligations
 Conclusion