After the EU rework the system is data-driven through global arrays, so making a new country part of the EU system is just two list edits. You no longer need per-nation scripted localisation, per-party MEP blocks, or per-focus vote flags. Adding a tag to the potential list is enough.
“Potential” means the country can interact with the EU: it shows up for EU AI evaluation, its government and euroscepticism feed the EU’s internal numbers, and once it gains candidacy it can apply for membership. It does not make the country a member on its own.
The two lists
The same tag goes in two places, and the two must stay in sync:
-
EU_is_potentialtrigger incommon/scripted_triggers/99_EU_scripted_triggers.txt. This is the gate every EU decision category checks (allowed = { EU_is_potential = yes }). Add one line to theORblock:EU_is_potential = { OR = { original_tag = ADO ... original_tag = TAG # your new nation } } -
global.EU_potentialarray inon_startup_euu_action, incommon/scripted_effects/99_eu_scripted_effects.txt. This is the runtime array effects loop over. Add:add_to_array = { global.EU_potential = TAG }
Use original_tag in the trigger (not tag) so civil-war split-offs still resolve. Keeping both lists identical avoids the case where a nation passes the decision gate but is missing from the array the effects iterate (or vice versa).
How the nation then joins
A potential nation is eligible, not yet a member. It becomes a member through the normal flow:
- It gains the
EU_candidateflag, either from an enlargement council vote (the601/602/603/605-611/653agendas grant candidacy to their cohorts) or from its own focus tree. - With
EU_candidateset it can use the apply-for-membership decision once it meets the entry conditions (no war, breach-of-values under the cap, limited external influence, etc.). - A country that previously left the EU rejoins through the
EU_former_membercooldown path instead of first-time candidacy.
Starting members vs potential members
This guide adds a potential member. To make a country a founding member that starts inside the EU, add it to the global.EU_member array (and give it the EU_member idea in its history file) rather than global.EU_potential. Founding members are the 15 starting states; everyone else enters through candidacy.
