Since its establishment in 1958 the European Union has been a success story, bringing peace and stability to its Member States, the number of which has continued to expand. Today the European Union (EU) is the world’s largest economic region and a community of values. EU members are committed to democracy, the rule of law, freedom and human rights. 

The EU is a unique economic and political partnership between 27 European countries that together cover much of the continent. It was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea being that countries who trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict.

Enlargement happens when new countries join the European Union. So far, this has taken place seven times in the EU’s history, each time transforming both the EU and the new member states. Accession to the EU is a merit-based process. To become a member state, each country needs to fulfil the same conditions and complete the same steps.

In 1951, six countries founded the European Coal and Steel Community, and later, in 1957, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. A further 22 countries have since joined the EU, including a historic expansion in 2004 (2007 and 2013) marking the re-unification of Europe after decades of division.

As of 1st of February 2020 the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union.

Enlargement is the process whereby states join the European Union, after they have fulfilled a set of political and economic conditions. On the route to EU membership, each country that wants to join must fulfil the same requirements and follow the same process:

1. Membership Application
2. Candidate Status
3. Accession Negotiations
4. EU Membership

Parallel to the enlargement process, the same candidate countries cooperate with the EU in other forms to strengthen political and economic ties.