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EU HISTORY

ACCESSION CRITERIA

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• ACCESSION PROCESS

• Pre-accession Strategy
• Accession Negotiations
• Screening
• Review Procedure

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COMPONENTS OF PRE-ACCESSION STRATEGY:

• Europe Agreements
• Accession Partnership
• National Programme for the Adoprtion of Aquis
• Pre-accession Assisstance

EUROPE AGREEMENTS:

A European Agreement is signed between the European Union member state and each applicant country.

Each country signs an individualized agreement which reflects the specifics of the economic situation and the legislative basis.

The main focus of the agreement is the establishment of free trade and a Single Market among the European Union and the associated countries.

The agreements set a time limit for the establishment of free-trade:

- 10 years for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania
and the Slovak Republic
- 6 years for Lithuania and Slovenia
- 4 years for Latvia
- free trade with Estonia was established in 1995

Association Agreements correspond to the European Agreements but are addressed to Cyprus, Malta and Turkey.

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ACCESSION PARTNERSHIPS

Accession Partnerships form the essence of the pre-accession strategy. They aim to provide direct support to the needs of each candidate country in overcoming specific problems.

The Partnerships set out short and medium-term priorities and also highlight the main resources and instruments available to help the candidate-state overcome the problems.

The Accession Partnerships are adopted by the Commission and updated regularly to adjust priorities and means of assistance.

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NATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE ACQIUS (NPAA)

NPAA is the candidate country's response to the Accession Partnership. It sets out a plan stating the ways in which the country intends to fulfill the Accession Partnership. So it in a way it complements the Accession Partnership.

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PRE-ACCESSION ASSISSTANCE

Important part of the Pre-Accession Strategy includes providing assistance to the countries applying for membership to ensure a smoother transition and faster adaptation to the European Union economic and legislative system. There are several programmes that are oriented toward the legislation and different sectors of the economy.

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