Treaty of Accession 2005
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Treaty of Accession 2005 is the agreement between the European Union and two countries (Bulgaria and Romania), concerning these countries' accession into the EU. Simultaneously, it changed a number of points which were originally laid down in the Treaty of Nice.
On April 13, 2005 the European Parliament approved the signing of the Accession Treaties of Romania and Bulgaria, effectively endorsing their accession to the European Union. The parliament voted on the Romanian Accession Treaty with 497 positive votes, 93 negative votes, and 71 abstentions. Bulgaria received a slightly more positive message, with 522 votes in favour of its accession treaty, 70 negative votes, and 69 abstentions.
The treaty was signed on April 25, 2005, in Luxembourg. It will enter into force on January 1, 2007. Article 39(1) of the Accession Protocol in the Treaty talks about the possible postponement of the joining date to January 1, 2008. In spring 2006, the European Commission delayed a final decision on accession until November, citing concerns over various problems such as health and safety and corruption. The decision should be taken unanimously by the European Council. The question was formulated in such a way, that even one opposing current member state is enough to default the date of accession to January 1, 2007 ("the Council may, acting unanimously on the basis of a Commission recommendation, decide that the date of accession of that State is postponed by one year to 1 January 2008."). On September 26, 2006 the Commission recommended January 1, 2007 as accession date for both countries.
The treaty has been ratified by twenty-four member states of the European Union.
The European Union comprises a large number of overlapping legal structures which is a result of it being defined by successive international treaties. The Treaty of Accession 2005 modifies:
- the Treaty of Rome (Treaty establishing the European Community),
- the Euratom Treaty and
- the Maastricht Treaty (Treaty forming the European Union)
as well as other acts which together form the current legal framework of the EU.
The Treaty's full name was: Treaty between the Kingdom of Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Estonia, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic, Ireland, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Member States of the European Union) and the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania, concerning the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.
Contents |
[edit] Approval of the Treaty
| Parliament | Date | Result | Deposited with Italian Government[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
 European Parliament |
13 April 2005 |  Yes. Romania: 497 to 93 in favour. Yes. Bulgaria: 522 to 70 in favour. |
n/a |
 Bulgaria |
11 May 2005 | Yes. 231 to 1 in favour. |
Yes |
 Romania |
17 May 2005 | Yes. 434 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Slovakia |
21 June 2005 | Yes. 102 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Hungary |
26 September 2005 | Yes. 257 to 6 in favour. |
Yes |
 Slovenia |
29 September 2005 | Yes. 64 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Cyprus |
27 October 2005 | Yes. 59 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Greece |
2 November 2005 | Yes. 288 to 12 in favour. |
Yes |
 Estonia |
16 November 2005 | Yes. 69 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Czech Republic |
15 September 2005 6 December 2005 |
Yes. Senate: 79 to 0 in favour. Yes. Deputies: 155 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Spain |
24 November 2005 14 December 2005 |
Yes. Deputies: 303 to 1 in favor. Yes. Senate: 247 to 1 in favour. |
Yes |
 Italy |
24 November 2005 22 December 2005 |
Yes. Senate: 313 to 2 in favour. Yes. Deputies: 415 to 3 in favour. |
Yes |
 Malta |
24 January 2006 | Yes. 65 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Latvia |
26 January 2006 | Yes. 79 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 United Kingdom |
24 November 2005 7 February 2006 |
Yes. Commons: Agreed without a division. Yes. Lords: Agreed without a division. |
Yes |
 Portugal |
8 March 2006 | Yes. 216 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Poland |
10 March 2006 30 March 2006 |
Yes. Sejm: 426 to 1 in favour. Yes. Senate: 71 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Lithuania |
30 March 2006 | Yes. 85 to 1 in favour. |
Yes |
 Sweden |
9 May 2006 | Yes. Approved by acclamation. |
Yes |
 Austria |
26 April 2006 11 May 2006 |
Yes. National Council: Approved by show of hands with 2 against. Yes. Federal Council: Approved by show of hands with 1 against. |
Yes |
 Netherlands |
7 February 2006 13 June 2006 |
Yes. Deputies: 95 to 54 in favour. Yes. Senate: 70 to 4 in favour. |
Yes |
 Finland |
19 June 2006 | Yes. 200 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Ireland |
13 June 2006 21 June 2006 |
Yes. Dáil Éireann: Agreed without a division. Yes. Seanad Éireann: Agreed without a division. |
Yes |
 Luxembourg |
29 June 2006 | Yes. 60 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 Belgium |
30 March 2006 20 April 2006 12 May 2006 27 June 2006 12 July 2006 19 July 2006 19 September 2006 |
Yes. Senate: 52 to 8 in favour. Yes. Deputies: 115 to 14 in favour. Yes. Brussels Parliament: 77 to 6 in favour. Yes. French Parliament: 57 to 0 in favour. Yes. Flemish Parliament: 79 to 29 in favour. Yes. Walloon Parliament: 61 to 14 in favour. Yes. German Parliament: 25 to 0 in favour. |
Yes |
 France |
27 June 2006 3 October 2006 |
Yes. National Assembly: 514 to 0 in favour. Yes. Senate: 27 to 0 in favour[2]. |
Pending |
 Denmark |
(Expected) 21 November 2006 | Folketing: Not yet. | |
 Germany |
26 October 2006 (Expected) 24 November 2006 |
Yes. Bundestag: 529 to 12 in favour. Bundesrat: Not yet. |
[edit] References
- ^ Article 4 of the Treaty requires that instruments of ratification be deposited with the Government of the Italian Republic. Each country deposits the instrument of ratification after its internal ratification process is finalized by all required state bodies (parliament and the head of state).
- ^ "Aderarea României, ratificată de Franţa", Ziua, 5 October 2006.
[edit] See also
- European Union Law
- Accession of Bulgaria to the European Union
- Accession of Romania to the European Union
