Definicija: Association agreements establish special links with non-member countries extending beyond the purely trade aspect to include close economic cooperation and financial assistance. They can be divided into two categories:1) Agreements to maintain the special relationships that exist between some Member States and certain non-member countries (special economic links existed with some overseas countries and territories);2) Agreements to prepare the way for possible accession. They form a kind of preliminary stage to accession, designed to help a country that has applied for membership to bring its economy into line with the rest of the Community.

Definicija: In the "Europe Agreements" concluded since 1989 with Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Romania, the EU has in principle committed itself to the long-term goal of membership for them. Here, too, association is meant to help them fulfil the conditions for accession to the EU, which they are seeking for economic and foreign policy reasons.