ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Potential enlargement of the European Union

Imagine you have a group of friends who all like to play together. Sometimes, some of your other friends who aren't in the group want to join in and play too. This is kind of like what's happening with the European Union.

The European Union is a group of countries in Europe who work together and have similar rules about things like trade, money, and travel. Right now, there are 27 countries in the European Union. But, some other countries that aren't in the EU are interested in joining.

One of these countries is called North Macedonia. North Macedonia is like a new friend who wants to join in and play with the other EU countries. But, first, North Macedonia has to follow some rules and meet certain standards to make sure they're ready to join the group.

For example, let's say your friends have a rule that you have to be able to ride your bike without training wheels to join their group. If North Macedonia wants to join the EU, they have to be able to follow the rules and standards that the other countries have set. These include things like having a fair legal system, a stable economy, and being committed to peace.

If North Macedonia is able to meet all these requirements, it's possible that they could join the EU and be a part of the group of friends who all work together. Other countries that are also interested in joining the EU include Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey. But just like North Macedonia, they have to meet certain conditions before they can join.

So, in summary, potential enlargement of the European Union is like adding new friends to the group who want to play and work together. But, these new friends have to meet certain standards and follow the rules that the other friends have set in order to join.