Acceding country
The term acceding country ( English Acceding country ; French Pays adhérent or Pays en voie d'adhésion ) describes the last stage in the EU enlargement process before full membership in the European Union .
term
The path to full membership in the European Union is a multi-stage process. An applicant for membership in the European Union must go through the following stages:
- Potential candidate for membership
- Candidate for membership
- Accession candidate with which accession negotiations have started
- Acceding country
- Full membership in the European Union
Levels one and two denote the approach to the European Union, levels three to five denote the enlargement of the European Union.
After the accession negotiations with the EU have been concluded, the applicant country signs the accession treaty . The date of accession to the European Union is also specified in the accession treaty.
A transition period up to full membership in the European Union comes into force. When the accession treaty is signed, an applicant country becomes a so-called accession country .
Candidate Country Rights
Each candidate country has the right to be an active observer in most of the Council's working groups , in the committees of the European Commission and in the agencies of the European Union . It has the right to speak but not to vote.
This regulation is intended to introduce the candidate country to the work of the European Union. The acceding country can use information and consultation procedures to submit comments on changes to Community law ( acquis communautaire ) and thus influence EU decisions.
Current candidate countries
There are currently no acceding countries after Croatia became a full member of the European Union on July 1, 2013.