The Council will unanimously determine, at the Commission's proposal, the basic criteria for the temporary closure and, where possible, the opening of each chapter; depending on the chapter, the basic criteria will refer to legislative adjustment and satisfactory implementation of the acquis communautaire and obligations arising from contractual relations with the EU, reads the section of the draft conclusions referring to the negotiating framework.
Negotiations will be conducted, as before, within the Intergovernmental conference, which covers all member-countries and the candidate country, and all decisions will require consensus.
European leaders state the possibility of introducing long transitional periods of time, specific arrangements, permanent protection clauses and derogations for specific areas of the acquis communautaire.
Where necessary, the Commission will include this possibility in its draft framework for areas such as freedom of movement of persons, structural policy or agriculture, reads the draft.
Also proposed in the draft is a suspension clause which makes it possible for the European Union to discontinue negotiations in case the candidate country is seriously and permanently violating the principles of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and basic freedoms, and the rule of law on which the EU is based.
The introduction of the suspension clause can be initiated by the EC or a member-country and the Council would decide on it by a qualified majority vote.