Accession process

Countries in process

Six countries are candidates in the accession process (as at March 2026):

• Republic of North Macedonia (candidate since 2005)
• Montenegro (2010)
• Albania (2014)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (2022)
• Moldova (2022)
• Ukraine (2022)

However, enlargement is rising up the EU agenda. MEPs say that enlargement is a strategic response to the evolving geopolitical reality and a vital investment in the EU’s security and stability.

The accession process for three more candidates is stalled:

• Turkey (1999)
• Serbia (2012)
• Georgia (2023)

Also, Kosovo applied in 2022 but does not yet have candidate status.

In November 2025, the EU Minister for Enlargement expected Montenegro and Albania to conclude negotiations in 2026 and 2027 respectively. Moldova and Ukraine are addressing extensive reform agendas. North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have much more to do.

Iceland is holding a referendum on 29 August 2026 on whether it should restart its EU membership talks. Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009, but suspended its well-advanced accession process in 2015. As an EEA member, Iceland already adopts relevant EU legislation participates in several EU programmes, so its accession process is likely to be faster than normal.

Source: EU, EU enlargement

The five stages of accession

Accession involves five main stages:

• application submission
• European Commission offers opinion
• candidacy status granted
• accession negotiations
• treaty signature and ratification

1. Application submission
   • Applying country chooses to apply for EU membership.
   • Any European country is eligible to apply that agrees to promote the EU’s common values – respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law – and meets certain conditions, referred to as the “Copenhagen criteria,”.
   • Countries must have a functioning market economy, stable democratic institutions, and be able to implement EU laws and fulfil membership obligations.
2. European Commission offers its opinion to the European Council on three assessments:
   • political criteria
   • economic criteria
   • ability to assume obligations of membership
3. Candidacy status is granted by the unanimous decision of the European Council, informed by the European Commission’s opinion.
   • Council and candidate country agree to a framework for accession negotiations.
   • Candidate countries receive financial and technical assistance throughout the accession process.
4. Accession negotiations commence, as the candidate country adapts its national laws to align with the EU’s rules, called the ‘acquis’.
   • Negotiations formally conclude once each of the 35 acquis chapters (topics like taxation, the environment and defence policy) are unanimously closed.
   • This is normally the longest and most complex stage (see Figure 1.4).
5. An accession treaty is signed by the candidate country and the EU (with the consent of the Council, Commission and Parliament).
   • Later, when the candidate and each EU Member State have ratified the treaty, it becomes binding.
   • The country becomes an “acceding country” until the official accession date, when it becomes a full EU member.

Source: European Commission, The EU accession process – Step-by-step

How long does joining the EU take?

On average, joining the EU took about nine years for the 21 current EU members, who went through the process (see Figure 1.4). However, it’s important to note that:

• Finland (three years), Sweden (four years) and Austria (six years) joined much faster,
• the fourth stage, accession negotiations, is normally the longest, lasting:
  • an average of four years, or a median of five years;
  • only about a year for these three countries.

The FT recently reported that the European Commission is developing proposals for a two-stage accession process that could accelerate accession, but there have been objections from some member states (FT report, January 2026).

Figure 1.4: How long does joining the EU take?

Source: Pew Research Center, How exactly do countries join the EU?, July 2022

Joining the euro

To accede to the EU, a candidate must commit to joining the euro (€), but the timing is left for it to decide. To be ready to join, a country needs to show that it meets the convergence criteria and peg its currency to the euro for two years without major fluctuations. Although the EU cannot force a new member to join the euro, it must grant its approval.

The euro came into being in 1999 when 11 European countries put aside their national currencies and joined together to form the eurozone. The first adopters were Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

Twenty-one of the 27 Member States now have the euro as the official currency. The most recent joiner to the eurozone was Bulgaria on 1 January 2026, having become a Member State 19 years ago in 2007. Before that, Croatia joined the euro in 2023, ten years after becoming an EU member in 2013.

Of the six countries outside the euro, only Denmark, which joined in 1973, has an opt out. The other five non-euro Member States joined the EU ranging from 19 to 31 years ago:

• Sweden – 31 years (1995)
• Czechia – 22 years (2004)
• Hungary – 22 years (2004)
• Poland – 22 years (2004)
• Romania – 19 years (2007)

Interestingly, there are also six non-EU members who have adopted the euro: Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, and the Vatican City.

Sources:
EU, Countries using the euro