In accordance with the commitments made by the European Union, Turkey and the countries of the Western Balkans are being considered as future Member-States. Turkey and Croatia – which have had candidate country status since 1999 and 2004 respectively – started accession negotiations in October 2005. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia obtained candidate country status in December of the same year, with the opening of negotiations dependent on the verification of the conditions laid down.

The other countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, including Kosovo – are also making progress in terms of their European perspective as potential candidates of the European Union, an objective endorsed by the European Council in Santa Maria da Feira of June 2000, held during the Portuguese presidency, which has been confirmed in subsequent European Councils. The «Thessaloniki Agenda» adopted in the EU-Western Balkans Summit meeting of June 2003, and confirmed the European perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans as «potential candidates» The Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) is the EU policy framework for the region. It was formulated in 1999 and is the framework for relations with these countries during the whole process up to their eventual accession.

At the December 2006 European Council the Heads of State and the Government had an in-depth debate, which let to renewed consensus on Enlargement, based on the Commission's strategy document, which included a special report on the capacity for integration. This new consensus is based on the «Three Cs» strategy (consolidation, conditionality and communication) and sought to take into consideration the strategic value of Enlargement and the needs of the Union itself in terms of assuring its own suitable functioning.

The European Council confirmed the Union's commitments to the countries involved in the enlargement process, and specifically their commitment to the accession negotiations under way (Croatia and Turkey) and the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

It also wished to reinforce the quality of the Enlargement by using lessons learnt from the Fifth Enlargement. It was also restated that the progress in the speed of accession negotiations will depend on progress of reforms in the candidate countries and that each of the countries will be evaluated on its own merits.

On the other hand, it is important to ensure widespread and continued support by the public, which can be encouraged through greater transparency and communication.

To sum up, the European Council placed greater emphasis on the verification of the conditionality established and the necessary conditions on the part of the Union to ensure the success of the accession, but it did not alter the criteria established, in applying Article 49 of the Treaty of European Union by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993:

• Stable institutions which guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities;
• Functioning market economy and the capability to meet competitive pressure and market forces inside the Union;
• Capacity of the candidate countries to assume the responsibilities resulting from their accession to the Union, including accepting the aims of political, economic and monetary union.

Candidate countries:

- Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
- Croatia
- Turkey