Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey are now candidates for EU membership.
Negotiations are now underway in virtually all areas of the acquis.
Progress in negotiations depends on each applicant's ability to implement the acquis. This means that, in principle, a country which began negotiations in 2000 could catch up and overtake a country which began in 1998. The exact time of accession will depend upon the progress made by the applicants and is also a matter for the negotiations. Turkey is in a different position. Turkey is a candidate for EU membership.