Explainers

North Macedonia applied for EU membership in March 2004 and was granted EU candidate status in December 2005. The EU held its first intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia in July 2022.

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 aims to improve transport connections between countries by funding infrastructure, encouraging greener travel and making sure different systems work well together.

Find out more about e-commerce in the EU and how the Digital Services Act will impact the sector.

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

The pharma package updates the current rules on medicines to better meet patient needs and support competition and innovation.

Revised rules should ensure adequate standards of living and comparable living conditions and help reduce secondary movements for all applicants in all EU member states.

The digital euro would be a digital form of central bank money, issued by the European Central Bank, for retail use alongside physical cash.

The European defence industry programme (EDIP) is one of the many initiatives the EU has taken to boost its defence readiness and enhance Europe's defence industry in light of an evolving security landscape.

Every EU citizen enjoys the same fundamental rights based on the values of equality, non-discrimination, human dignity, freedom and democracy. These rights are secured and set out in EU treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.