Glossary:Candidate countries
At present there are nine official candidate countries for membership of the European Union (EU):
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | (BA) |
| Montenegro | (ME) |
| Moldova | (MD) |
| North Macedonia | (MK) |
| Georgia | (GE) |
| Albania | (AL) |
| Serbia | (RS) |
| Türkiye | (TR) |
| Ukraine | (UA) |
Accession negotiations with Türkiye started on 3 October 2005. North Macedonia was granted candidate country status by a European Council decision of December 2005; accession negotiations started on 19 July 2022. Montenegro was made a candidate country on 17 December 2010 and accession negotiations started on 29 June 2012. Serbia was granted candidate country status on 1 March 2012. Accession negotiations were launched through the first Intergovernmental Conference with Serbia on 21 January 2014. Albania became a candidate country on 24 June 2014 and accession negotiations started on 19 July 2022. Moldova and Ukraine received candidate country status on 23 June 2022, while Bosnia and Herzegovina received candidate country status on 15 December 2022. Georgia was granted European perspective in June 2022 and candidate status in December 2023.
In addition, there is one potential candidate in the Western Balkans, namely Kosovo*, however candidate country status has not yet been granted.
| Kosovo*[1] | (XK[2]) |
Further information
- European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations: EU enlargement package 2022
- Candidate countries and potential candidates