list of countries trying to join the eu
Future enlargement of the European Union There are five recognised candidates for future membership of the European Union: Turkey (applied in 14 April 1987), Macedonia (applied in 22 March 2004), Montenegro (applied in 2008), Albania (applied in 2009) and Serbia (applied in 2009). All except Albania and Macedonia have started accession negotiations.[1][2] Kosovo, whose independence is not recognised by five EU member states,[3] and Bosnia and Herzegovina are recognised as potential candidates for membership by the EU. Bosnia and Herzegovina has formally submitted an application for membership, while Kosovo has a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, which generally precedes the lodging of membership application. In July 2014, Jean-Claude Juncker announced that the EU has no plans to expand before 2019[4] while Serbia and Montenegro, the most advanced candidates, are expected to join before 2025.[5] While the others are progressing, Turkish talks are at an effective standstill.[6]