1. Political: stable institutions guaranteeing democracy,

the rule of law, human rights and respect

for and protection of minorities.

2. Economic: a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competition and market forces in the EU.

3. The capacity to take on the obligations of membership, including adherence to the objectives of political, economic and monetary union. 4. Adoption of the entire body of European

legislation and its effective implementation

through appropriate administrative and judicial

structures.

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.

Some European countries are yet to convert

their European perspective into EU membership.

Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic

of Macedonia are now candidates; with Croatia

and Turkey the EU has already begun negotiations

towards membership. The other Western Balkan

countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Montenegro and Serbia including Kosovo (under UN

Security Council Resolution 1244) – are also working

towards fulfilling the requirements to move

ahead. The speed with which each country advances

depends solely on its own progress towards our

common goals.

What are the arguments against enlargement?

Here are some of them:

It could lead to mass immigration, and increased organised crime

Workers from poorer countries take jobs from richer ones, and companies relocate to countries with lower labour costs and worse social protection

The richer member states cannot afford to pay huge subsidies to the poorer states

The broader the EU gets, the more difficult it is to achieve deep integration

The EU will grind to a halt, because with so many members it will never be able to agree on anything

What are the arguments in favour of enlargement?

Supporters say it is reuniting a continent divided by the Cold War, spreading stability and prosperity, expanding the single market, and giving Europe more weight on the world stage.

They also have a specific response to each of the above arguments against enlargement:

Immigration helps drive economic growth, and the EU will be able to work with new member states to tackle organised crime and trafficking

Cheaper labour is good for the economies of richer European nations - and it is better for them if companies relocate to Central Europe than to India or China

The richer member states gain more from being members of a large single market than they pay out in transfers to the poorer countries

A broader union can also be a deeper one - the EU has been expanding at regular intervals since 1973 and all the while integration has been steadily increasing

Decision-making in the EU has not ground to a halt yet, despite the failure to pass a new constitution which would have simplified procedures.

EU leaders sign landmark treaty

The treaty was signed at Lisbon's historic Jeronimos monastery/

EU leaders have signed a treaty in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, that is expected to greatly alter the way the 27-nation body operates. The treaty creates an EU president and a more powerful foreign policy chief.

The document, signed at a ceremony at the city's historic Jeronimos Monastery, also scraps veto powers in many policy areas. It is a replacement for the EU constitution, which was abandoned following French and Dutch opposition.

EU leaders insist that the two texts are in no way equivalent.

But the Lisbon treaty incorporates some of the draft constitution's key reforms, and several governments face domestic pressure over the document.

KEY LISBON TREATY REFORMS

Creates new European Council president

New foreign policy supremo to increase EU profile

Commissioners reduced from 27 to 18

Removes national vetoes in around 50 policy areas

Voting weights between member states redistributed

No reference to EU symbols such as the flag and anthem

Treaty faces referendum in Ireland and must be ratified by all other EU parliaments

Under international law “dispute” has a specific meaning which goes beyond a mere difference of views. A dispute is a contest of some specificity, the resolution of which has some practical effect on the relations between the parties. The UN Charter includes several provisions outlining methods of dispute settlement. Article 2 (3) requires members to “settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered”.  Article 33 of the Charter calls for peaceful settlement of disputes through “negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice”. 

Several organs of the UN are engaged in dispute settlement. In addition to the ICJ, disputes may be brought before the General Assembly and the Security Council. 

The General Assembly may discuss any questions relating to the maintenance of international peace and security brought before it by any Member of the United Nations, or by the Security Council, or by a state which is not a Member of the United Nations in accordance with Article 35, paragraph 2, and, except as provided in Article 12, may make recommendations with regard to any such questions to the state or states concerned or to the Security Council or to both. Any such question on which action is necessary shall be referred to the Security Council by the General Assembly either before or after discussion.”

“Subject to the provisions of Article 12, the General Assembly may recommend measures of the peaceful adjustment of any situation, regardless of origin, which it deems likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations among nations, including situations resulting from a violation of the provisions of the present Charter setting forth the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. “ 

Arbitration is a quasi-judicial method of dispute resolution and, unlike any of the five methods mentioned above, results in legally binding settlements

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
“The Court shall be composed of a body of independent judges, elected regardless of their nationality from among persons of high moral character, who possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices, or are jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law.”