The Enlargement of the European Union: A Necessity? From the Status of a Potential Candidate to That of a Candidate State for Accession
The Enlargement of the European Union: A Necessity? From the Status of a Potential Candidate to That of a Candidate State for Accession

Summary/Abstract: The European Union’s enlargement policy applies to countries aspiring to the EU membership and potential candidate countries. The European Council is the European institution that grants the status of a candidate country for EU membership. Obtaining this status does not directly grant the status of EU member state, which requires undergoing a complex procedure; after fulfilling the accession conditions, the candidate countries must apply European legislation in all areas. The Treaty on the European Union (TEU) provides in Article 49 the legal basis for the accession of any European state to the EU, specifying, at the same time, the values on which the EU is founded (Article 2). Obtaining the candidate state status represents an important stage in the EU accession process and it is granted by all 27 EU member states who decide unanimously. The EU enlargement process started from the clearly expressed desire to create the conditions for a closer union of the peoples of the member states of the European continent.

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