Page 139 - SEVEN STEPS for COMPREHENDING the EUROPEAN UNION

138 / SEVEN STEPS FOR COMPREHENDING THE EUROPEAN UNION

reports”, through which the Commission informs the Member States on
where each country stands and how negotiations should be conducted
in the covered policy areas.

Based on screening reports, the Council communicates to each
country the conditions for the opening of the cluster of Fundamentals,
also known as benchmarks. The benchmarks require each country
to prepare plans called roadmaps identifying key reforms they will
undertake under the rule of law chapters of the EU acquis - chapters
23 and 24, and a roadmap for public administration reform. This is
an element of the new enlargement methodology that sets out the
country’s general commitments to reforms in the respective areas with
a timetable and the key steps envisaged.
Apart from greater involvement of the EU in monitoring of the
process, the new methodology also includes reversibility of the process
- if a country does not deliver tangible results in the reform process,
they may fall back in the negotiation process.
The negotiation chapters vary from free movement of goods and
capital to public procurement, from transport and energy policy to
social policy and employment, from judiciary and fundamental rights
th
to foreign, security and defense policy, etc. The 35 chapter, however,
is “Other Issues” which may come up during negotiations and are not
covered by any other negotiating chapter. Chapter 35 is dealt with at the
end of the negating process.
Since 2020, in accordance to the new enlargement methodology,
the negotiation chapters have been grouped in six clusters: 1.
Fundamentals; 2. Internal market; 3. Competitiveness & inclusive
growth; 4. Green agenda & sustainable Connectivity; 5. Resources,
agriculture & cohesion; 6. External relations.