Peace and security, economic and social prosperity, protection of the cultural identity of the member states and values such as pluralism, tolerance, justice and solidarity – these are the ideas that guide the 27 member states of the European Union and unite 446 million people.

The European Union is a unique alliance that has been continuously developing for the past 70 years. The European Union is governed by agreements, by-laws, provisions adopted by the institutions of the European Union, directives and recommendations, which, together with the general policy of the European Union, are elaborated by decision of the Council of the European Union (representing national governments), the European Parliament (representing the people), the European Commission (independent authority separate from the governments of the EU Member States and protects common European interests) and other EU institutions and bodies.

The European Union is a unique political and economic union that aims to ensure peace, prosperity and freedom in a fairer and safer world. The European Union is based on such values as respect for human dignity, freedom, equality, the rule of law, as well as respect for human rights. These values unite the 27 member states of the European Union, characterized by pluralism, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality in relation to its 446 million citizens.

According to Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, the EU is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men. Article 4 of the Treaty stipulates that the EU must respect the national identities of its Member States. Article 6 recognises that the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union have the same legal value as the Treaties. Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union stipulates that the aim of the European Union is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples. Based on the Treaty, well-being means economic growth and price stability, social market economy, creation of internal market, environmental protection, promotion of social justice and cultural diversity, establishment of an area of freedom, security and justice.

EU accession criteria (Copenhagen criteria) and procedure

According to paragraph 1 of Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, any European State which respects the values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them may apply to become a member of the Union. The aforesaid article sets forth both geographical and political criteria for joining the European Union.

The European Council, meeting in Copenhagen in 1993, agreed on three criteria for the countries of Eastern and Central Europe to become part of the EU.

The political criteria require the achievement of stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law and human rights;

The economic criteria require that candidate countries have a functioning market economy and that their producers have the capability to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union.

The  legal  criteria require the candidate’s ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.

Yet another Copenhagen criterium is incorporation of the EU Acquis, which means that the EU law must be fully applied in the new member state from the moment of accession. The legal system of the EU, in addition to the primary and secondary legislation, is made up of statements, practices and decisions, which form the cumulative body of the EU Acquis.

The process of joining the EU consists of various steps and all of them must be authorized by all EU member states. A country wishing to join the EU submits a membership application to the Council, The European Parliament and national Parliaments of EU Member States are also notified of the application.

The Council invites the European Commission to prepare an Opinion on the merits of the country’s application in light of the political, economic and legal criteria. Following the adoption of the Opinion, the Commission presents it to the EU Council, which takes a decision whether to open accession negotiations. In case of a positive decision, membership negotiations start and the negotiation process is concluded by the European Parliament’s formal consent.   A decision on admission of the applicant to the EU is adopted by the Council unanimously.  To bring the process to conclusion, the candidate country and representatives of all EU countries have to ratify the treaty of accession.

Withdrawal the European Union

The right of a Member State to withdraw from the European Union was introduced for the first time with the Lisbon Treaty – before that, the possibility of withdrawal existed only in theory, as stipulated  by public international law. More specifically, a member state could leave the European Union based on a change of circumstances. After the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the withdrawal of a member state from the European Union is regulated by Article 50 of the Treaty. An EU Member State wishing to withdraw must notify the European Council of its intention to do so. The European Union is then required, based on the European Council’s guidelines,  to conclude with the withdrawing state an agreement setting out all important arrangements and future cooperation framework. An agreement with the member state wishing to withdraw is the Council, acting on behalf of the European Union.

The decision is made by a qualified majority, but before that, the approval of the European Parliament is necessary. A Member State shall be deemed to have left the European Union from the date of entry into force of the Withdrawal Agreement. If no agreement can be reached, 2 years after notifying the European Council of its desire to withdraw, the member state automatically leaves the European Union (however, the European Council can extend this two-year period with the consent of the state wishing to leave the European Union). The imposition of a two-year period indicates that any member state can leave the Union if it so wishes. The European Union has no right to block the decision.

The population of Great Britain voted in favour for leaving the European Union in the referendum held on 23 June 2016. Negotiations between the UK and the EU had been ongoing for two years, and in accordance with Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, the process was supposed to end on 29 March 2019. However, Great Britain applied to the European Council for a two-year extension. As a result of lengthy negotiations, Great Britain officially left the European Union on 31 January 2020.