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<p>Any future UK assessment of the costs and benefits of any future accession of a
country to the EU would depend on a number of factors including the budgetary impact
of any new accession, the benefits that enlargement can bring in terms of increased
opportunities for trade, cooperation against organised crime and greater political
stability in Europe. The impact of accession of any new countries to the EU upon the
EU’s budget would depend on the relative wealth of the new Member State. Wealthier
Member States would be additional net contributors to the EU budget while less wealthy
Member States, would be net recipients. We support the focus of the European Commission
on the need for economic convergence to be a central element in the accession process
of any candidate country.</p><p>The economic element of the Copenhagen Criteria –
the rules that identify whether a country is ready to join the EU – provides that,
to join the EU, a candidate country must become a “functioning market economy and
have the capacity to withstand competitive pressures and market forces within the
Union.”</p>
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