Recital (6)

With regard to a country that has been granted the status of candidate State for accession to the Union (candidate country), the Treaty on European Union (TEU) sets out the conditions and principles to which any country wishing to become a Member State must conform. Those conditions and principles were established by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 (the Copenhagen criteria) and strengthened by the Madrid European Council in 1995. The Copenhagen criteria are the following: stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities, a functioning market economy and the ability to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union, and the ability to take on the obligations of Union membership, including the capacity to effectively implement the rules, standards and policies that make up the body of Union law, and adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.