EU enlargement

In 2003 a total of 13 countries in central and eastern Europe and the Mediterranean were recognised by the European Council as candidates for accession to the European Union (EU). The following ten countries signed the Accession Treaty with a view to joining the EU on 1 May 2004: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. Two other countries, Bulgaria and Romania, entered into accession negotiations in 2003 and have been given the prospect of entry into the EU in 2007. Turkey is the other official candidate for accession.