Treaty of Accession 2005

The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. It entered into force on 1 January 2007. The Treaty arranged accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and amended earlier Treaties of the European Union. As such it is an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union.

The full official name of the Treaty is:

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.

Following successful completion of accession negotiations European Council concluded on 17 December 2004 that Bulgaria and Romania were ready to become members of the European Union. A request for assent (C6‑0085/2005) was submitted to the European Parliament.

On 22 February, the 2005 European Commission delivered a favourable opinion on the accession to the European Union of Bulgaria and Romania. As a result, on 13 April 2005, the European Parliament gave assent to the applications of Bulgaria and Romania to become members of the European Union. The parliament voted in favour of Romania with 497 positive votes, 93 negative votes and 71 abstentions, while Bulgaria received 522 votes in favour, 70 votes against and 69 abstentions. On 25 April 2005, Council of the European Union accepted the applications for admission of Bulgaria and Romania.

The treaty was signed on 25 April 2005, in Neimënster Abbey, Luxembourg. In addition to the Treaty of Accession a Final Act was signed. The Final Act registers the results of the accession negotiations, including any declarations made by the parties. It also laid down arrangements for the period between signing and entry into force of the treaty. Ratification of the Treaty of Accession is summarized in the table below. The process was completed on 20 December 2006.

The default date for entry into force of the Treaty was 1 January 2007. Provisions were made for the postponement of the accession of one or both countries until 1 January 2008. Such a decision could have been taken by the Council of the European Union acting upon recommendation of the European Commission. In its 16 May 2006 monitoring report, the Commission delivered the final recommendation about the date of accession, but requested further progress from Bulgaria and Romania. The 26 September 2006 monitoring report concluded that both countries were sufficiently prepared to meet the political, economic and acquis criteria. It recommended against postponement of accession (instead of delaying membership it was decided to address the shortcomings through a subsequent cooperation and verification mechanism). The treaty entered into force on 1 January 2007.

The Treaty itself consists of six articles.