European Commission - Enlargement - Chapters of the acquis/negotiating chapters
The chapters of the acquis (presently 35) form the basis of the accession negotiations* for each candidate country*. They correspond to the different areas of the acquis* for which reforms are needed in order to meet the accession conditions. The candidate countries are required to adapt their administrative and institutional infrastructures and to bring their national legislation into line with EU legislation in these areas. The different chapters are reviewed during the screening of the acquis* and are evaluated regularly up until the time each chapter is closed.
For more details, see the following sections on our website: