The duration taken for the process is mainly dependent on the size, political and economic status of the candidate country, and several other yardsticks. These largely depend on the candidate country’s resources and its ability to reform its institutions and standards according to the EU criteria. The willingness by everyone to see the successful completion of the process also matters.
On an average, it takes just under five years from the opening of negotiations till the final accession. Austria, Finland, and Sweden took just under two years, making them the quickest nations to accede after talks. In contrast, Croatia took almost eight years from negotiations to finally becoming a member state.
The most credible recent candidate for EU membership was Iceland, which had applied for membership in 2009. By 2013, it had made astounding progress in the accession process. However, the Icelandic government placed the talks on hold, and the country formally withdrew its application in March 2015.
Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are the five candidate countries currently undergoing the accession process.
Picture Credit : Google
