[From the Introduction]. In April 2003 ten applicant states signed accession treaties to the European Union. This marked the endpoint of an intensive preparatory phase in which the candidate countries' adherence to criteria for membership of the European Union was annually monitored in the so-called Regular Reports....The question thus arises of how the Commission arrives at its evaluations. How does it apply the criteria to assess an applicant country's success in meeting them? This study aims to shed light on the above question by focusing on the criterion "respect for and protection of minorities"...
