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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)

Enlargement

European Commission - Enlargement - Enlargement

The European Union (EU) currently has 27 Member States. Following the first six Member States — Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — 21 countries have acceded to the Union:

1973: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom;

1981: Greece;

1986: Spain and Portugal;

1995: Austria, Finland and Sweden;

2004: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia;

2007: Bulgaria and Romania;

2013: Croatia.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine have the status of candidate countries.

Kosovo* is engaged in the Stabilisation and Association Process, but together with Georgia has not yet been recognized as candidates; they have the status of potential candidates.