Romania formally applied to join the European Union in June 1995, starting the legal and diplomatic track toward accession. This application set in motion years of assessments of Romania’s economy, institutions, and ability to adopt EU rules (the acquis, meaning the EU’s body of law).
Bulgaria formally applied for EU membership in December 1995. Together with Romania’s earlier application, this established both countries as official candidates whose progress would be reviewed against EU political and economic standards.
In December 1997, EU leaders launched a structured enlargement process to prepare candidate countries for membership. This created the framework used to evaluate reforms, negotiate adoption of EU rules, and connect political change to economic integration through the single market.
At the Helsinki European Council in December 1999, EU member states decided to open accession negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania (among other candidates). This was a turning point from preparation to formal bargaining over when and how EU rules would be adopted.
On 15 February 2000, the EU formally opened accession negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania. Negotiations were organized into chapters covering different policy areas, such as competition, agriculture, and justice, linking domestic reforms to future participation in the EU economy.
By the early-to-mid 2000s, EU leaders and the Commission increasingly treated 2007 as the planned accession year, while emphasizing that membership depended on meeting EU standards. This period tightened monitoring and pushed reforms aimed at making both economies and institutions fit for the single market and EU funding rules.
In December 2004, the European Council concluded that Bulgaria and Romania were ready to become EU members, clearing the way for the final legal steps. This decision reflected the closing phase of negotiations and shifted attention to signing and ratification of the accession treaty.
On 25 April 2005, Bulgaria, Romania, and the EU signed the Treaty of Accession in Luxembourg. The treaty set the agreed terms for joining the EU, including the planned entry date and the possibility of safeguards if serious problems remained.
In May 2006, the European Commission published a key monitoring report assessing remaining gaps before the planned 2007 entry. It supported moving toward accession while requiring further progress, especially in areas tied to fair competition, effective administration, and rule-of-law capacity needed for the EU internal market.
On 26 September 2006, the European Commission’s monitoring report recommended not postponing accession and confirmed 1 January 2007 as the entry date. At the same time, the EU signaled it would use protective measures if necessary, reflecting concern that reforms—especially on corruption and justice—were incomplete.
In December 2006, the European Commission created the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) to track progress after accession. The CVM set benchmarks for judicial reform and anti-corruption efforts (and for Bulgaria, also organized crime), showing that entry would be paired with continued oversight.
On 1 January 2007, Bulgaria and Romania became EU member states, completing this phase of post–Cold War enlargement. Membership integrated both countries more deeply into the EU single market and EU policy system, while post-accession safeguards like the CVM aimed to keep reforms moving after entry.
Bulgaria and Romania Accession (1997-2007)