This blog study aims to describe the historical development and individual phases of the Czech Republic’s approach to EU membership, as well as actions taken by European institutions in these matters. The analysis covers the period from the 1989 Velvet Revolution up until 2004, when the Czech Republic officially joined the EU.

As European integration developed, so did the requirements for acceding states. The accession criteria for joining the European Union, nowadays very well known as the Copenhagen Criteria, have developed over time in response to the EU's gradual expansion and the need to ensure that new Member States adhere to the Union's core values and requirements. The evolution of these criteria can be summarised in several key stages.