Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2006 - 2007

this would raise particular challenges: agriculture, cohesion, energy, migration, external
borders, and foreign policy.
In preparing past enlargements the Commission examined in separate policy papers the
implications for the EU of issues common to several applications for membership. The
Commission has emphasised strengthening EU institutions, furthering economic integration
and developing common policies as pre-requisites for European integration.
In 1997, the Commission assessed the likely impact of the fifth enlargement and proposed
budgetary and policy reforms in preparation for accession. A key goal of "Agenda 2000" was
to ensure that EU policies were ready for enlargement.
Economically, the EU had started to prepare the fifth enlargement round as early as 1991,
when the EU signed the first Europe Agreements with Central and Eastern European
countries. As a result of these agreements, the EU quickly became the first trading partner of
these countries. Most of the bilateral trade in industrial goods between the EU and these
countries was liberalised well before accession, which facilitated greatly economic
integration.
Economic integration with Turkey is facilitated by the Customs Union which has stimulated
economic reforms and dynamism. In the Western Balkans, countries are prepared through the
Stabilisation and Accession Agreements which provide for progressive trade liberalisation
and economic assistance. The simultaneous enlargement and modernisation of the Central
European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) paves the way for deeper economic integration in
South-Eastern Europe.
The assessment of the EU's ability to integrate new Members continued during the accession
negotiations. The Commission proposed measures to address the impact of enlargement on
the existing Member States in particular policy areas. In the fifth enlargement, these included
the movement of workers and road transport. The Commission's evaluation of the budgetary
amounts necessary for financing the fifth enlargement provided the basis for concluding the
negotiations, including for agriculture payments.
The Union assisted the applicant countries in their preparations for assuming their future
membership obligations. For the fifth enlargement it established a pre-accession strategy. This
included close monitoring and regular reporting on progress made by each country, prioritysetting
through accession partnerships, and financial assistance. Far-reaching association
agreements allowed the applicant states to take on some of the rights and obligations of the
acquis before accession in areas of the single market, such as competition policy, intellectual
property, maritime transport and certification for industrial products. Candidate countries
participated in EU agencies and committees. Once the accession treaties were signed, the
acceding countries participated as observers in the law-making process.
This strategy, which aimed at sound preparations by the candidate countries themselves,
facilitated their smooth integration into the EU. Two years after their accession, the ten new
Member States have achieved an excellent level of compliance with EU legislation, as
highlighted in the Commission's internal market scoreboard and reports on the
implementation of EU law. The economic impact of their accession has been positive.
Institutions have continued to function and to take decisions; the new members have played
an active role.
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