European Union representation within those institutions, a practice often referred to as "pooling of sovereignty". To become a member, a country must meet the Copenhagen criteria, defined at the 1993 meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen. These require a stable democracy that respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy; and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including EU law. Evaluation of a country's fulfilment of the criteria is the responsibility of the European Council. No member state has yet left the Union, although Greenland (an autonomous province of Denmark) withdrew in 1985. Article 50 of
Greenland Representation to the European Union withdrawal. Between 1982 and 1984 the terms were negotiated and on February 1, 1985 Greenland formally withdrew from the European Community. A Treaty on Greenland’s withdrawal from the Community was made – the Greenland Treaty – declaring Greenland as a “special case”. This "special case" provided a fisheries agreement between the parties in which the European Community and later the European Union kept its fishing rights and Greenland kept its financial contribution as before the withdrawal. It also gave Greenland tariff free access of fisheries products to the EU as long as there exists a satisfactory fisheries agreement. Greenland is