Candidate country status is conferred by the European Council based on an opinion from the European Commission, drawn up following an application for membership by the country concerned. However, candidate country status does not give a right to join the Union automatically. The Commission scrutinises the application in the light of the accession criteria (Copenhagen criteria), while the accession process starts with the European Council decision to open accession negotiations. Depending on their circumstances, candidate countries may be required to institute a reform process in order to bring their legislation into line with the Community acquis and to strengthen their infrastructure and administration if necessary. The accession process is based on the pre-accession strategy, which provides instruments such as financial aid. Accession depends on the progress made by the candidate countries, which is regularly assessed and monitored by the Commission. At the moment there are 3 candidate countries: Croatia, Turkey and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was first introduced in 1960, to ensure that Europe had secure food supplies at affordable prices. However, it became a victim of its own success, generating unwanted surpluses of some products such as beef, barley, milk and wine. In addition, the subsidies paid to European farmers were distorting world trade. Therefore, the European Commission began reviewing the CAP in 1999. The EU agreed further reforms in 2003, with the emphasis on high-quality farm produce and animal-friendly farming practices that respect the environment and preserve the countryside. The EU plans to cut back on direct subsidies to farmers, to redress the balance between EU agricultural markets and those of the developing world.
The unit responsible for carrying out tenders, payments and reporting of projects according to the methods defined by the European Union’s Commission within the framework of financial cooperation. Reporting to the Secretary General of the European Union (EUSG), the Turkish Prime Ministry carries out these procedures independently.
This means consulting civil society when the European Commission is drawing up its policies and proposals for legislation. It is a broader concept than 'social dialogue'.
This is the collective name for all kinds of organizations and associations that are not part of government but that represent professions, interest groups or sections of society. It includes (for example) trade unions, employers' associations, environmental lobbies and groups representing women, farmers, people with disabilities and so on. Since these organizations have a lot of expertise in particular areas and are involved in implementing and monitoring European Union policies, the EU regularly consults civil society and wants it to become more involved in European policymaking.
This means (literally) 'sticking together'. The jargon term 'promoting social cohesion' means the EU tries to make sure that everyone has a place in society – for example by tackling poverty, unemployment and discrimination. The EU budget includes money known as the 'Cohesion Fund’, which is used to finance projects that help the EU 'stick together'. For example, it finances new road and rail links that help disadvantaged regions take a full part in the EU economy.
This is more correctly known as "committee procedure". It describes a process in which the Commission, when implementing EU law, has to consult special advisory committees made up of experts from the EU countries. For further details, see EU Portal.
When the EEC was founded in 1957, it was based on a 'common market'. In other words, people, goods and services should be able to move around freely between the member states as if they were all one country, with no checks carried out at the borders and no customs duties paid. However, this took a while to achieve: customs duties between the EEC countries were not completely abolished until 1 July 1968. Other barriers to trade also took a long while to remove, and it was not until the end of 1992 that the 'Single Market' (as it became known) was in place.
This technical term means transferring a matter from the second or third 'pillar' of the EU to the first 'pillar' so that it can be dealt with using the 'Community method'. For further details, see EU Portal.
See 'European Communities'.
The Community acquis is the body of common rights and obligations, which bind all the Member States together within the European Union. It is constantly evolving and comprises: the content, principles and political objectives of the Treaties; the legislation adopted in application of the treaties and the case law of the Court of Justice; the declarations and resolutions adopted by the Union; measures relating to the common foreign and security policy; measures relating to justice and home affairs; international agreements concluded by the Community and those concluded by the Member States between themselves in the field of the Union's activities. Thus the Community acquis comprises not only Community law in the strict sense, but also all acts adopted under the second and third pillars of the European Union and the common objectives laid down in the Treaties. The Union has committed itself to maintaining the Community acquis in its entirety and developing it further. Applicant countries have to accept the Community acquis before they can join the Union. Derogations from the acquis are granted only in exceptional circumstances and are limited in scope. To integrate into the European Union, applicant countries will have to transpose the acquis into their national legislation and implement it from the moment of their accession.
This is a procedure for transferring certain matters from the third 'pillar' of the EU to the first 'pillar' so that they can be dealt with using the Community method . Any decision to use the bridge has to be taken by the Council, unanimously, and then ratified by each Member State.
This is the EU's usual method of decision-making, in which the Commission makes a proposal to the Council and Parliament who then debate it, propose amendments and eventually adopt it as EU law. In the process, they will often consult other bodies such as the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
This is eurojargon for 'powers and responsibilities'. It is often used in political discussions about what powers and responsibilities should be given to EU institutions and what should be left to national, regional and local authorities.
This usually means the government department or other body responsible for dealing with a particular issue. It is 'competent' in the sense of having the legal power and responsibility.
At present, the EU is founded on four basic treaties that lay down the rules by which it has to operate. These treaties are big and complex, and EU leaders intend to replace them with a single, shorter, simpler document spelling out the EU's purposes and aims and stating clearly, who does what. This new document (technically known as the 'constitutional Treaty') will be rather similar to the constitution of a country - even though the EU is not, and does not aim to be, a single country. The text of this new EU Constitution was agreed in June 2004 and signed by all the member state governments in October 2004. It is due to come into force in 2006, but first it must be ratified by all the national parliaments and, in some countries, be approved by referendum.
A public or private establishment, consortium or individual that signs an official contract to undertake a specific job.
This term has various meanings, including (in the EU context) a group of people representing the EU institutions, the national governments and parliaments, who come together to draw up an important document. Conventions of this sort met to draw up the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the draft EU Constitution (see Convention on the Future of Europe.)
The European Convention (also known as the Convention on the future of Europe) was set up in December 2001. It had 105 members, representing the presidents or prime ministers of the EU member states and candidate countries, their national parliaments, the European Parliament and the European Commission. Its Chairman was former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The Convention's job was to draw up a new Treaty that would set out clear rules for running the European Union after enlargement. It was, in effect, to be the Constitution of the EU. The Convention completed its work on 10 July 2003.
In June 1993, EU leaders meeting in Copenhagen set three criteria that any candidate country must meet before it can join the European Union. First, it must have stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for minorities. Second, it must have a functioning market economy. Third, it must take on board all the acquis and support the various aims of the European Union. In addition, it must have a public administration capable of applying and managing EU laws in practice. The EU reserves the right to decide when a candidate country has met these criteria and when the EU is ready to accept the new member.
There are three different European bodies with the word 'council' in their names: The European Council This is the meeting of heads of State and government (i.e. presidents and/or prime ministers) of all the EU countries, plus the President of the European Commission. The European Council meets, in principle, four times a year to agree overall EU policy and to review progress. It is the highest-level policy-making body in the European Union, which is why its meetings are often called “summits”. The Council of the European Union Formerly known as the Council of Ministers, this institution consists of government ministers from all the EU countries. The Council meets regularly to take detailed decisions and to pass European laws. The Council of Europe This is not an EU institution. It is an intergovernmental organization based in Strasbourg and it aims (amongst other things) to protect human rights, to promote Europe's cultural diversity and to combat social problems such as xenophobia and intolerance. The Council of Europe was set up in 1949 and one of its early achievements was to draw up the European Convention on Human Rights. To enable citizens to exercise their rights under that Convention it set up the European Court of Human Rights.
Every year a different European city is designated as the “European capital of culture”. The aim is to publicise and celebrate the cultural achievements and charms of this city and so make European citizens more aware of the rich heritage they share. Istanbul has been chosen as European capital of culture for 2010.
A public invitation by the Contracting Authority, addressed to clearly identified categories of applicant, to propose operations within the framework of a specific EU programme.
The CFCU handles tendering, contracting and payments on behalf of Ministries and agencies, which shall themselves be responsible for preparing projects requirements and managing their technical implementation.
The chapters of the acquis form the basis of the accession negotiations for each candidate country. They correspond to the different areas of the acquis for which reforms are needed in order to meet the accession conditions. The candidate countries are required to adapt their administrative and institutional infrastructures and to bring their national legislation into line with Community legislation in these areas.
A programme to streamline aid to support the participation of the countries of the Western Balkans in the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP).
European Community programmes are an integrated set of actions adopted to promote co-operation between the EU Member States and candidate countries in different specific fields related to Community policies, over a period of several years.
Procedure without prior publication of a procurement notice, in which only candidates invited by the Contracting Authority may submit tenders.
The procedure followed by a Contracting Authority to identify, and conclude a contract with, a suitable contractor to provide defined goods or services.
The European Commission, acting for and on behalf of the beneficiary country, in the case of centralised approach. The Contracting Authority appointed by the government of the beneficiary country, in the case of decentralised approach (as in Turkey).
Programmes aimed at improving the economies and social links between border regions.
The programme will be implemented over a period starting on 1 January 2007 and ending on 31 December 2013. The general objective of the programme is to enhance the cultural area common to Europeans through the development of cultural cooperation between the creators, cultural players and cultural institutions of the countries taking part in the programme, with a view to encouraging the emergence of European citizenship. The Programme is open to the participation of non-audiovisual cultural industries, in particular small cultural enterprises, where such industries are acting in a non-profit-making cultural capacity. For more information please visit: European Commission Directorate General of Culture or the National Contact Point: Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı.
A customs union involves trading goods between countries without any customs duties and tariffs, the application of a common external tariff on imports from third countries and the application of common trade policies.
The main task of CUJC is to establish a consultative procedure in order to ensure legislative harmonisation foreseen in the fields directly related to the functioning of the customs union between Turkey and the EU. CUJC makes recommendations to the Association Council. It is foreseen to meet regularly once a month.
