Following the European Union summit meeting in Brussels last week, the ten candidate countries working towards membership in the European Union in 2004 will be briefed on the next steps they need to take at a meeting in Copenhagen on Monday.

The ten countries - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia - will also be informed about the decisions made in Brussels and how these will effect their membership process.

The Copenhagen meeting, also to be attended by three possible future candidates - Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey – mark the start of six weeks of intense discussions regarding budget regulations and EU criteria that must be met by the new members before December 12th. The meeting has been billed as the beginning of the final phase of EU negotiations with the candidate countries.

The ten countries are still currently working towards fulfilling EU conditions - known as the Copenhagen criteria - for membership.

Candidates still working towards 'Copenhagen Criteria'

Each candidate must satisfy the criteria in areas including guarantees of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and prove themselves to be a functioning market economy which can deal with the market forces of the EU. New members must also be able to work within the political, economic and monetary union aims of the EU.

At the summit in Brussels last week, the current 15 EU member states eventually agreed to reforms in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after stalling by France and Germany. From 2007, the budget for agricultural subsidies and direct aid payments will be capped at 1 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year. It will continue at this rate and the total will rise to 48 billion euro ($46.9 billion) a year by 2013.

EU agreement on CAP opens up talks on agriculture

This now paves the way for the candidate countries to address the reform of the agricultural policy in regard to their own situations and the effects of the proposed 2 billion euro ($1.95 billion) reduction in structural funds.

Many of the poorer countries are concerned that the reduction in structural funds and farm subsidies may be detrimental in their attempts to fulfill the Copenhagen Criteria.

There are reservations among the current member states concerning the accession of the ten, specifically in reference to the CAP. There are particular concerns over how the CAP will cope with a big and underdeveloped rural country like Poland. Subsidies to support such nations could put a massive strain on those countries expected to provide the bulk of the financial assistance, even after the introduction of reforms.

Some of the more well off EU states are also worried about the possible effects a sudden influx of cheap labor may have on their economies. Others are afraid that regional aid may be diverted away from those who currently benefit to the new, poorer countries that join in 2004 and beyond.

Referendums may prove problematic for candidates

Although the Irish referendum ratified the Nice Treaty, removing the first major stumbling block to accession, other external factors may stand in the way of enlargement. Some of the candidate countries may face a fight similar to Ireland's in order to secure a ‘Yes’ vote from their people in referendums on membership.

Growing doubts in the 15 member states could also lead to problems as any final accession treaty will have to be ratified by every member state and by the European Parliament.

The EU's aim is to complete all negotiations by the end of this year and to ratify a Treaty of Accession in time for the new member states to take part in the next European Parliament elections in June 2004.