European Commission: Strategy Paper and Report 2003

Overall conclusions and recommendations

This year's Regular Reports show that all candidate countries have made considerable further progress in implementing the Copenhagen criteria.

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia fulfil the political criteria. Bearing in mind the progress achieved by these countries, the track record in implementing their commitments, and taking into account their preparatory work in progress, the Commission considers that these countries will have fulfilled the economic and acquis criteria and will be ready for membership from the beginning of 2004.

The Commission therefore recommends to conclude the accession negotiations with these countries by the end of this year. They will be referred to below as the ten acceding countries.

The Regular Reports point to a number of areas where further improvements need to be made in the context of the political and economic criteria and in relationship to the adoption, implementation and enforcement of the acquis. These should be vigorously pursued.

Bulgaria and Romania fulfil the political criteria but do not fully meet, to various extents, the economic and acquis criteria. Turkey does not fully meet the political, economic or acquis criteria. The political criteria for Turkey are assessed below.