Explainers

Serbia applied for EU membership in December 2009 and was granted EU candidate status in March 2012. The EU-Serbia accession negotiations began in January 2014. So far, 22 chapters have been opened.

The EU provides strong political, technical and financial support to help Western Balkans partners to progress on their European path.

The EU integrates new members through the enlargement process once they meet a number of political and economic conditions. Each candidate country needs to fulfil the same conditions and complete the same steps.

A snapshot of how the EU changed in 2004 when 10 countries joined, and the economic growth that followed. Discover more in our infographic