The EU asserts that the enlargement door remains open to any European country that is able to meet and implement the political and economic criteria for membership. The remaining Western Balkan states of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo are all recognized as potential EU candidates but their accession prospects and timetables vary. Most analysts believe that it will likely be many more years before any of these countries are ready to join the EU.

Having nationals on the staff of the EU institutions is important for any member state as a channel of influence to the EU. The European Parliament counts 6,690 staff persons. The following is the breakdown by nationality:

No less than 50 German national trade associations have a presence in Brussels. It has become increasingly necessary for national associations to maintain an office in Brussels owing to the increasing influence of the European Commission on national legislation. Through their Brussels offices cooperation with other associations can also be strengthened and synergy effects fully utilized in terms of extensive lobbying.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is a multilateral treaty that bans chemical weapons and requires their destruction within a specified period of time. The treaty is of unlimited duration and is far more comprehensive than the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which outlaws the use but not the possession of chemical weapons.

CWC negotiations started in 1980 in the UN Conference on Disarmament. The convention opened for signature on January 13, 1993, and entered into force on April 29, 1997.

The very existence and functioning of representative democracy, where citizens delegate policy-making to elected representatives, hinges on the presence of politicians.

Lobbying as a practice attracts a very negative response that excludes the reality of how public policy evolves in democratic setting be it at national or EU level. There is a common and inaccurate perception that lobbying is unethical and damaging to heathly government.This misperception exists because lobbying attracts attention only in the light of contentious issues and not when positive outcomes are achieved.

A political sphere can be defined as a space for communication between political actors and citizens for discussions on matters of common interest, particularly those related to the management of public affairs by a government. Social integration and political legitimacy are the main functions of a political sphere. From a democratic point of view, public debate is the single most important clue for the assessment of democratic quality, because the legitimacy of power holders can be tested in relation to affected interests .

Interest groups and interest representatives play an important role within the European Union. Yet, the basic definition of an interest group - a group of individuals organized to seek public policy influence, usually though not exclusively by attempting to influence government actors - masks an enormous amount of diversity among interests and interest groups.

The EU has concluded a number of trade agreements throughout the world. The table here below provides a quick picture of EU trade relations along 5 prime categories: 1. EU and Customs Union 2. European Economic Area  3. Countries with which the EU has a preferential agreement in place (this category also includes countries with economic partnership agreements) 4. Countries with which the EU negotiates or has a preferential agreement pending official conclusion (this category also includes countries with economic partnership agreements) and 5.

The Syrian conflict has already spilled over to its neighbours. There are approximately 1.6 million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt and military operations have already spread beyond Syria’s borders into Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Israel.