This video was made in collaboration with Mr. Beat.
More info at the end of the video.
So, you are a country, and you have taken note of the European Union, and its 28 member
nations, and all the nice things going on there, with their multinational currency,
and open borders, and decide that you want a part of it.
What comes next?
Okay, so your government and people have democratically decided that it would be in your best interest
to join the European Union, but first, we must ask, who can join the EU?
Well, for a European Union, it’s no surprise that preference might be given to European
countries, so an independent Cascadia might have to try other alliances.
Morocco was even refused entry in 1987 for this reason.
However, there have been, and still are, quite a few areas outside of Europe that have been
part of the EU, well, besides Cyprus.
This is because, from the 1500s, all the way up to my lifetime, Western European countries
have established huge, colonial empires across the world.
France got half of Africa, Germany got Namibia, Italy got Albania, Portugal got Brazil, Spain
got América, Britain got everything, Norway got everywhere no one can live, and Russia
got everywhere that looks like this [lonely field in Siberia].
In more recent times, this has happened with Greenland (through Denmark), and Algeria (through
France), and is still true with Saint Martin, French Guiana and Mayotte (France), the Canary
Islands (Spain), the Faroe Islands (Denmark), the Madeira Islands and the Azores (Portugal),
and way too many others to mention (UK).
Okay, but let’s say your country is fully in Europe, as disputed by no one.
What are the social requirements?
The main requirements for joining the EU, known as the Copenhagen criteria, are: 1)
stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect
for and protection of minorities; 2) a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with
competition and market forces in the EU; 3) the ability to take on and implement effectively
the obligations of membership, including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary
union.
Okay, let’s break that all down.
The first rule is pretty easy to understand, insure democracy and human rights for civilians,
easy to understand, but not easily pulled off in many countries.
Second are the economic factors, in that the EU is most strongly centered around the economy;
even if joining the EU would be a godsend to your economy, it must be abundantly clear
that your economy will not be a burden on the EU’s larger members.
Finally, the third rule is to make sure your country can actually be a successful member
of the EU, what with its open visa policies, and single currency, and all that; basically,
you must be able to do what EU nations actually do.
There are some exceptions to some of these things, though, like Britain’s famous opt-outs
of the Eurozone and Schengen, these just require opt-out treaties upon entry.
Of course, if you don’t want open visa policies, and all that, the EU probably just isn’t
for you.
Part of what takes the process so long is that the applicant country has to enact many
of the EU laws that will apply to it, which can itself take quite a while.
So, which countries are currently trying to join the EU?
These countries are called “candidate countries”, for obvious reasons, and include Albania,
Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia (yes, I know), and possibly the most notable, Turkey.
There are also two potential candidates, being Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo (yes, I
know), both complete with adorable, EU-inspired flags.
Three of them, Serbia, Montenegro, and Turkey, are currently negotiating, though Turkey has
unfortunately been on hold after the 2016 coup attempt.
Serbia and Montenegro, however (though now two countries) are expected to be able to
join sometime between 2019 and 2025.
During the negotiation period, the candidate countries, and the European Commission must
come to a firm agreement on the acquis communautaire, which is basically a law book on how to Europe.
It is divided into 30+ chapters, which are agreed upon often one-by-one, and agreements
can take a while.
Montenegro has finished 3 of the chapters, Serbia 2, and Turkey just 1.
Wait, but what about all the independence movements, like Scotland and Catalonia?
Well, that is a rather iffy issue, as this is still yet to happen, where a country is
formed through independence from an EU country.
Basically, it’s something that will be looked into when it happens.
Anti-independence politicians say that the new countries will have to reapply, whereas
pro-independence politicians disagree, and say that their new countries can still be
a part of the EU, all to the surprise of absolutely no one.
However, once you’ve been approved by the European Commission to start negotiations,
and you have been screened for entry, and have reached an agreement on all 30+ chapters
of the acquis, and you’ve enacted all the pre-accession period laws and regulations
required for entry, then congratulations!
Your nation is now officially a part of the European Union, hope you’re not Britain!
Okay, so maybe the EU isn’t really something for you.
Say, you’re in North America or Oceania.
If you want to become a US State, instead, go check out Mr. Beat’s video on much the
same idea as this video, but for becoming the 51st (or hopefully 53rd) state of our
country!
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