The European Council decided to set up a European Conference of EU member states and the states aspiring to accede, and which share the EU's values and internal and external objectives. The members of the Conference must share a common commitment to peace, security and good neighbourliness, respect for other countries' sovereignty, the principles upon which the European Union is founded, the integrity and inviolability of external borders, the principles of international law and a commitment to the settlement of territorial disputes by peaceful means, in particular through the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
Countries will be invited to take part in the Conference if they endorse these principles, respect the right of any European country fulfilling the required criteria to accede to the European Union and share the Union's commitment to building a Europe free of the divisions and difficulties of the past.