European Union (Accessions) Act 2003

The Act was introduced to give effect in UK law to the Treaty of Accession 2003, signed in Athens on 16 April 2003. The UK, as an existing member state, was required to ratify the treaty and to adjust its domestic legislation to accommodate the new member states. The Act amended the European Communities Act 1972 to ensure that EU treaties and legislation would apply to the acceding states from the date of accession.¹ It also provided for the UK's representation in the European Parliament, increasing the number of UK MEPs from 87 to 78 temporarily, before a later reduction to 72 in 2009.²

The Act's main provisions included the extension of the definition of "the Treaties" and "the Community Treaties" to cover the accession treaty and the adjustments to the EU's founding treaties. It also amended the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 to allow for the election of additional MEPs, and made consequential amendments to other legislation, such as the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993.³ The Act was a "skeleton" measure, enabling the government to make secondary legislation to implement specific changes, such as the extension of EU law to the new member states in areas like agriculture and fisheries.⁴

The bill passed through Parliament with relatively little controversy, reflecting broad cross-party support for enlargement. However, some MPs raised concerns about the potential impact on immigration and the UK's budget contributions.⁵ The Act received Royal Assent on 13 November 2003, well before the accession date of 1 May 2004. It was one of several pieces of legislation that facilitated the UK's participation in the EU's eastern enlargement, which was widely seen as a historic step towards healing the division of Europe after the Cold War.¹

The Act also had a little-known effect on the UK's overseas territories: it extended the right of free movement to citizens of the new member states, but only within the UK, not to the Crown Dependencies or most overseas territories. Additionally, the Act's provisions on MEPs were temporary, and the UK's allocation was later adjusted by the European Parliament (Representation) Act 2003, which set the number at 72 for the 2009 elections.² The Act was later repealed by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, which revoked the European Communities Act 1972, but its historical significance remains as a key step in the EU's largest enlargement.⁶

Accession

The process by which a state joins the European Union.

European Communities Act 1972

The UK Act of Parliament that gave effect to UK membership of the European Economic Community.

MEP

Member of the European Parliament.