Archive:Enlargement policy and the acquis in statistics
- Data from Month Year, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.
Introduction
The EU’s enlargement policy is enshrined in the Treaty on European Union. The enlargement policy has proven to be a powerful tool for societal transformation. Countries that have already acceded to the EU and those on the road to join have undergone impressive changes through accession-driven democratic and economic reforms. The integration of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe over the past decade has shown that enlargement benefits the EU as a whole and allows it to be better positioned to address global challenges.
Main statistical findings
Requirements for joining the EU
Treaty on the European Union (article 49) states that any European country may apply for membership if it respects the democratic values of the EU and is committed to promoting them. The application is submitted to the Council (gathering the Member States' government representatives), which adopts its decision unanimously after consulting the European Commission and after receiving the assent of the European Parliament.
The criteria for joining the EU have been spelled out with more precision by the European Council (gathering the heads of state or government of the Member States) in Copenhagen in 1993, and reinforced by the European Council in Madrid in 1995. These criteria are: - Political: stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities. - Economic: a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competition and market forces in the EU. - The ability to take on the obligations of membership, including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.
In addition, the EU must be able to integrate new members, so it reserves the right to decide when it is ready to accept them.
Countries with the perspective of EU membership
The European Union Member States have granted the perspective of EU membership to the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99, Montenegro and Serbia), Turkey and Iceland. They are at different stages of the enlargement process. Croatia, Iceland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey are candidate countries. Candidate country status is granted to applicant countries for European Union membership from the day their application is officially accepted by the European Council. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99 and Serbia are recognized as potential candidates. Potential candidate countries are countries which may apply for EU membership or countries which applied but their application is still to be officially accepted by the European Council. Albania and Serbia have applied for European Union membership.
Accession negotiations
Accession negotiations are underway with the candidate countries Iceland and Turkey. Croatia has already concluded accession negotiations. Negotiations concern the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership. They focus on the conditions and timing of the candidate's adoption, implementation and application of EU rules, also known as the acquis. To facilitate the negotiations, the whole body of EU laws is divided into chapters, each generally corresponding to a policy area. "Statistics" is one of the chapters (Chapter 18).For candidates, it is essentially a matter of agreeing on how and when to adopt and implement EU rules and procedures. For the EU, it is important to obtain guaranties on the date and effectiveness of each candidate's implementation of the rules.
The role of official statistics in the enlargement process
Official statistics plays a dual role in enlargement process. First as an individual chapter of the acquis in statistics that defines the harmonisation with EU standards and rules and which has to be implemented in the pre-accession period. Second, official statistics serves other policy areas by providing the data for monitoring the changes and assessing the impact of the policies chosen. This dual role is in particular evident in the areas of economy, finance, agriculture and regional policy where reliable and comparable statistics is a precondition for successful accession process. Eurostat plays an active role in: Checking that national statistical systems comply with the acquis in the field of statistics (Chapter 18), subdivided in 12 different policy areas. In order to monitor the compliance of enlargement countries with the acquis in the field of statistics, Eurostat has created and developed the Statistical Management Information System – SMIS+. This tool contains a database that gathers the acquis and the European requirements in terms of data. Through this tool relevant institutions in enlargement countries as well as Eurostat’s various units in charge of data production regularly document the progress made towards the implementation of the acquis in statistics. This tool is used to generate progress reports that are used for screening and negotiations. Providing technical assistance and support to National Statistical Institutes and other producers of official statistics. To reach the objectives set up by the Eurostat’s strategy for statistical cooperation with candidate and potential candidate countries, several instruments have been put in place to support enlargement countries. Some instruments (statistical training course, traineeships, study visits, management training, and participation in meeting within the ESS) aim at reinforcing the skills of human resources in enlargement countries. In addition, Eurostat conducts peer reviews and yearly collects data. This yearly data collection is the opportunity to provide methodological recommendations to enlargement countries. The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is the financing instrument to fund the assistance to countries on their way to membership.
The final purpose is to obtain harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards.
Reporting and monitoring
The European Commission keeps the Council and the European Parliament duly informed about the progress of the candidate countries and potential candidates through annual strategy papers and individual country progress reports. The progress reports provide valuable feedback to the countries and signal the main areas where efforts are still required.
Outcomes
The candidate countries and potential candidates are expected to progressively increase data collection and transmission to the European Statistical System in the framework of the EU accession process. It appeared to be the case. Indeed, the yearly data collection conducted by Eurostat on the various EU policy domains allows disseminating an ever larger set of data describing enrolment countries. These data are then disseminated through various means: validated data are uploaded on the free-to-view public database ^Eurobase); annual pocketbook (paper version and free-to-view online version) of comparative tables and graphics on full range of thematic indicators with analytical text and leaflets on particular statistical topics are edited and these data are used when preparing the statistical annex for national progress reports.
In addition, data from candidate countries are not only disseminated in publications that focus on their situation but also along with Member States data in Eurostat major publication among with the Eurostat yearbook, the Eurostat regional yearbook, pocketbook on labour market statistics and the pocketbook on Energy, transport and environment indicators.
Further Eurostat information
Publications
Pocketbook on the enlargement countries – 2011 edition
Leaflets
Candidates and potential candidate countries: Transport and energy, 2011 edition Candidates and potential candidate countries: Economic developments, 2011 edition Candidates and potential candidate countries: Population and social condition, 2011 edition
Main tables
Candidate and potential candidate countries (t_cpc)
Databases
Candidate countries and potential candidates (cpc)
Dedicated section
The process of enlargement
External links
European Commission – Enlargement
See also (in Wiki)
To be defined with final titles of other SE pages
Notes
[[Category:<Subtheme category name(s)>|Non-EU Countries]] [[Category:<Statistical article>|Non-EU Countries]]