EU enlargement
From candidate to member, find out how enlargement works and which are the current candidate countries.
Enlargement happens when new countries join the European Union. So far, this has taken place seven times in the EU's history, each time transforming both the EU and the new member states.
Accession to the EU is a merit-based process. To become a member state, each country needs to fulfil the same conditions and complete the same steps.
How EU enlargement works
To get candidate status, each country needs to fulfil political, economic and administrative conditions.
To become an EU member state, each country needs to pass several stages and prepare to implement EU laws during accession negotiations.
The Council supervises the enlargement process and the accession negotiations, which are intergovernmental by nature.
Which are the candidate countries?
Currently, there are nine candidate countries. The listing of the countries follows the latest Council conclusions on enlargement.
On the route to EU membership, each country that wants to join must fulfil the same requirements and follow the same process:
- Membership application
- Candidate status
- Accession negotiations
- EU membership
Parallel to the enlargement process, the same candidate countries cooperate with the EU in other forms to strengthen political and economic ties.
History of EU enlargement
Successive waves of enlargement have shaped the history of the EU. Find out when and how the union grew from 6 to 27 member states, thereby deepening cooperation and promoting democratic values across Europe.
Map showing the current EU member states and a former EU member state, together with the year they joined the EU.
Latest news
- EU-Western Balkans summit to take place in Brussels on 25 November
- Remarks by President António Costa at the press conference following the European Council meeting of 15-16 October 2026
- European Council conclusions on competitiveness, the next multiannual financial framework and enlargement and reforms
Latest explainers
Last review: 9 July 2026