Successful development of the EU is inevitably influenced by the successful development of its European neighbours, so the EU has always sought close political and trade relations with them. For aspiring members, this relationship has also provided aid and support in their preparations for negotiations and eventual accession, tailor-made for their particular needs. This has always included assisting them in fully understanding the EU rules and obligations that must be accepted for membership, and in familiarising them with the way the EU functions.
In the current phase of enlargement, the EU also provides specific technical help and targeted financial aid for acceding countries, candidates and potential candidate countries that are still dealing with the challenges of reinforcing political stability, democratic institutions, functioning market economies, and prosperity for all their citizens. Programmes such as PHARE (set up in 1989 to help the countries of Central and Eastern Europe that were emerging from communism), ISPA and Sapard (designed to support infrastructure, agriculture and rural development in the candidate countries), CARDS (specifically for the countries of the Western Balkans) and a specific programme for Turkey, have delivered more than 100 billion euros for aspiring countries and new Member States over the last decade. Now a new, comprehensive instrument for all pre-accession financial aid has been established to respond to the current needs of enlargement. The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) came into effect in 2007, and will be the channel for assistance to Turkey and the Western Balkan. The IPA will provide a total of more than 11 billion euros (current prices) over the 2007-2013 period. In conjunction with the financial aid, the EU will continue to collaborate with all these countries to carry out the adjustments that will help prepare them for a smoother integration into the EU.
Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are candidate countries. While Croatia and Turkey started accession negotiations on October 3rd 2005, the negotiations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have not yet started.
Also the rest of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia as well as Kosovo under UNSC Resolution 1244/99) enjoy a European perspective. The EU has repeatedly reaffirmed at the highest level its commitment to eventual EU membership of the Western Balkans, provided they fulfill the accession criteria.
On the 16th of July 2009 Iceland submitted its application for EU membership.
