European Union Memmer State

A European Union Member State is ony o the twinty-sieven kintras that's jyned the European Union (EU) syne it was stairtit in 1958 as the European Economic Community (EEC). Frae an oreeginal membership o anely six kintras, there's been sax mair enlairgements, the maist muckle bein on the 1st o Mey 2004, whan ten member states jynt.

Efter the addeetion o Romanie an Bulgarie in 2007, the EU nou haes 27 members. Talks is unnerwey wi a nummer o ither kintras wi regairds tae jynin in the futur an aw. The process o enlairgement is aft cried European integration. Afore bein alloued tae jyne the European Union, a state maun saitisfee the mony condeetions kent as the Copenhagen criteria: this means that a caundidate member state maun hae a secular, democratic govrenment, alang wi the freedoms an bodies, an respect the rule o law. Unner the terms o the Treaty on European Union, enlairgement o the Union is condeetional on the greement o ilka member state as weel as bi the European Pairliament.

Bulgarie an Romanie maks the siecont pairt of the EU's fift enlairgement, an jynt the EU on the 1st o januar 2007. This date wis componed at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003, homologate at Brussels on the 18t o Juin 2004, an bi the kintra reports o October 2004 an the feenal report deleevert on the 26t o September 2006. Bulgarie an Romanie signed thair Treaty o Accession on the 25t o Aprile 2005 at a ceremony hauden at Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg.