Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 October 2024
120. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the current position in relation to new applications for European membership; the number outstanding for a specific period; when a decision is expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40916/24]
View answerThere are currently nine candidate countries for EU membership.
Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia applied for EU membership in 2022. Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status in 2022, and accession negotiations were opened earlier this year. The screening of the acquis for both countries is continuing. Georgia was granted candidate status in 2023, although progress on its candidacy has halted due to backsliding by the Georgian government in several areas.
Bosnia-Herzegovina applied for EU membership in 2016 and was granted candidate status in 2022. Accession negotiations will be opened with Bosnia-Herzegovina once it meets a number of additional criteria.
Albania applied for EU membership in 2009 and was granted candidate status in 2014. Accession negotiations were opened in 2022. An Intergovernmental Conference with Albania will take place on 15 October 2024, at which point the first cluster of negotiating chapters (on the fundamentals) will be opened.
Serbia applied for EU membership in 2009 and was granted candidate status in 2012. It has opened 22 of 35 applicable chapters, and provisionally closed two.
Montenegro applied to join the EU in 2008, and was granted candidate status in 2010. It has opened all 33 applicable negotiating chapters, and provisionally closed three. It is hoped that Montenegro will close four more chapters by the end of 2024.
North Macedonia applied for EU membership in 2004, was granted candidate status in 2005, and accession negotiations were opened in 2022. North Macedonia is required to implement the bilateral Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria before it can move to the next stage of the accession process.
Türkiye applied for EU membership in 1987 and was granted candidate status in 1999. Of 33 applicable chapters, Türkiye has opened 16 with one provisionally closed. Türkiye’s accession negotiations have been frozen since 2019.
In addition to the nine current candidate countries, Kosovo applied for EU membership in 2022. Its application remains under consideration, and Kosovo is classified as a potential candidate country.
The timeline for accession negotiations depends on the ability of the candidate countries to implement reforms required for EU membership and as such it would not be possible, at this stage, to set a firm timeline for future EU enlargement.
