File talk:European Union member states with applications.png

"potential candidate countries" -- according to whom?

The map designates four countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia) as "potential candidate countries" while many other European countries (e.g. Andorra, Iceland, Moldova, San Marino, Ukraine) are not so designated. What is the source for that distinction? --Mathew5000 (talk) 22:03, 6 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Exactly what I came to the page to ask. This smacks of OR/crystal balling. Kevin McE (talk) 08:17, 14 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

And having asked, I went and found an answer: Potential candidate is an formal EU designation [1]. My apologies for the above accusation. Kevin McE (talk) 08:26, 14 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the link. Good to know that the diagram is not just OR. But I still am not entirely clear on how exactly the EU is using that designation. Why, for instance, is Iceland not considered a "potential candidate country"? Is the designation used exclusively for Balkan countries? --02:59, 15 December 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mathew5000 (talk • contribs)

Perhaps it didn't consider joining. Notice Morrocco tried to join, even though it's in Africa. Maybe it has to be part of mainland Europe, or at least close enough to it, like Ireland or Malta. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.16.23.49 (talk) 16:25, 18 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Iceland, Norway and Switzerland DONT WANT TO JION. Turkey would like to jion very much because 5% of it's landmass is europe (apparently thats enough) but many people have rejected them and called them too 'Asian'. The balkans are candidates because many (Montenegro and Kosovo) already have the euro, most (Albania, Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro) WANT to jion and because the others (Serbia and Bosnia & Herz.) are just bound to jion once surrounded. The reasons why far-eastern european countries have no interest or are rejected is because Moldova is too poor, Ukraine too big, Belarus too authoristic (or slightly backwards compared to europe.. they are the only country in europe with the death penalty) and russia is simply too Scary. Malta jioned because they are a very european country and were never controlled by an Asian or african power and were always ruled by european powers. Cyprus jioned because it speaks Greek (Greece is in the EU) and because culturly it is European. Have I made sense? Iceland hasn't jioned because just like switzerland and norway it doesn't want to jion. While Andorra, San Marino and other microstates arn't included is because they also don't want to jion because they can simply have all the benefits of EU nations without jioning, E.G they all have the Euro and they are all part of the Shengen Agreement. If anyone has any questions ask on my talk page. Bezuidenhout (talk) 22:07, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]