Abstract

On October 3rd 2005 the Council of the European Union decided to open accession talks with Turkey and Croatia. This decision, which will affect the future of Europe, is of the utmost interest because of the way the conditions for accession - in particular the political conditions - were interpreted. In fact, talks began even though the applying states, in particular Turkey, did not meet one of the standards to enter the Union. As a result, the author questions the importance of these conditions despite the fact that they have been reaffirmed in various EU acts concerning the enlargement of the Union. She also hypothises a possible relationship between these issues and the pause in the European integration process.