Towards the enlarged Community. Strategy paper and report of the European Commission on the progress towards accession by each of the candidate countries.

Abstract

The next enlargement of the Union will further strengthen the unity of the Europeancontinent and help create an area of lasting peace and prosperity.In 1993, the Copenhagen European Council opened up the perspective of enlargement toinclude the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The EU subsequently launched anambitious pre-accession strategy that has guided and sustained the candidates’preparations for membership until the present day.In striving to fulfil the EU’s accession criteria and adopting the EU’s regulatoryframework, candidates have been able to accelerate domestic reforms at the same time asthey have been preparing for EU membership. Europe’s citizens have grown closertogether – as shown in the solidarity among current and future EU members during thesevere floods which hit Central and Eastern Europe this summer.The historical and political arguments in favour of enlargement are compelling. It willalso produce substantial economic benefits.