Article 49 of the Maastricht Treaty (as amended) says that any European state that respects the "principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law", may apply to join the Union. The Copenhagen European Council set out the conditions for EU membership in June 1993 in the so-called Copenhagen criteria (see Criteria and process above for details). The Western Balkan states had to sign Stabilisation and Association Agreements before either applying for and gaining candidate status, and all have already done so.
The countries prioritised for membership are those in Southeast Europe, Turkey, and Iceland with three of these — Turkey, Croatia, and Macedonia[8] — gaining candidate status. On 28 April 2009, Albania formally applied for membership in the European Union. Serbia submitted its application for membership on 22 December 2009, while Montenegro had done so on 15 December 2008.
When the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles goes ahead, there will be a minor enlargement (within the Netherlands) from the three Caribbean islands that chose to integrate with the Netherlands. The Netherlands has suggested that the Treaty of Lisbon allow the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba to opt for the status of outermost regions if they wish.[24]
A referendum on Mayotte becoming an overseas department of France in 2011 was held on 29 March 2009.[25] The outcome was "yes" (95.2%).[26] This should lead to Mayotte becoming an outermost region of the European Union.[
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