Portal:European Union

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Introduction

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km² (1,728,099 sq mi) and an estimated population of about 513 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. For travel within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002 and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency.

The EU and European citizenship were established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), established, respectively, by the 1951 Treaty of Paris and 1957 Treaty of Rome. The original members of what came to be known as the European Communities were the Inner Six: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The Communities and its successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The latest major amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009. While no member state has left the EU or its antecedent organisations, the United Kingdom signified the intention to leave after a membership referendum in June 2016 and is negotiating its withdrawal on 29 March 2019.

Selected general articles

Statistics in the European Union are collected by Eurostat (European statistics body). Read more...
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an independent EU Body, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. It was established on 11 March 2008. Read more...
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union (EU) dealing with judicial co-operation in criminal matters among agencies of the member states. It is seated in The Hague, Netherlands. Established in 2002, it was created to improve handling of serious cross-border and organised crime by stimulating investigative and prosecutorial co-ordination.

Eurojust is composed of a college formed of 28 national members—experienced judges, prosecutors, or police officers of equivalent competence from each EU member state. The terms and duties of the members are defined by the state that appoints them. Eurojust also co-operates with third states and other EU bodies such as the European Judicial Network, Europol and the OLAF. Read more...
The larger urban zone (LUZ), or Functional Urban Area (FUA), is a measure of the population and expanse of metropolitan areas in Europe. It consists of a city and its commuting zone.

The definition was introduced in 2004 by Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union (EU), in agreement with the national statistics offices in the member states. Eurostat data is provided on cities in the EU, its candidate countries and EFTA countries. Several cities were excluded by definition from the 2004 list of LUZs on technical, definitional grounds, such as the coincidence of the metropolitan area with the urban zone. Read more...
There is a long history of terrorism in Europe. This has often been linked to nationalist and separatist movements, while other acts have been related to political extremism (including anarchism, far-right and far-left extremism), or religious extremism. Read more...
The European Union has no major administrative responsibility in the field of healthcare. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Consumers however seeks to align national laws on the safety of food and other products, on consumers' rights and on the protection of people's health, to form new EU wide laws and thus strengthen its internal markets.
Greece failed to implement EU anti-smoking laws. The case of Greece raised the debate among Europeans as to why, in a union of common valies, the EU moved to enforce tax laws in member states, but not health laws which support fundamental human rights. Read more...
Tallest buildings in the European Union.

This list ranks the tallest buildings in the European Union that stand at least 140 metres (459 ft) tall, based on standard height measurement. This means that spires and other architectural details are included in the official height, but not antenna masts, as it is defined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Only habitable buildings are ranked, which excludes radio masts and towers, observation towers, cathedrals, steeples, chimneys and other tall architectural structures. Since 2011, the tallest building in the EU has been The Shard in London, United Kingdom, at 310 metres (1,017 feet). Read more...
A European Union laissez-passer is a travel document issued to civil servants and members of the institutions of the European Union. It is proof of privileges and immunities the holders enjoy. The document is valid in all countries of the European Union as well as in over 100 other countries. In 2006, the European Commission issued or renewed 2,200 laissez-passer, and other agencies may issue the document as well.

The present regulation was proposed by the European Commission implementing machine-readable laissez-passer according to ICAO 9303 standard including a digitized photo of the bearer's face and fingerprints. The fields are reduced and no longer contain information on address and physical appearance. Read more...
National identity cards are issued to their citizens by the governments of all European Union member states except Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and also by Liechtenstein. Citizens holding a national identity card, which states EEA or Swiss citizenship, can not only use it as an identity document within their home country, but also as a travel document to exercise the right of free movement in the EEA and Switzerland. Identity cards that do not state EEA or Swiss citizenship, including national identity cards issued to residents who are not citizens, are not valid as a travel document within the EEA and Switzerland.

National identity cards are often accepted in other parts of the world for unofficial identification purposes (such as age verification in commercial establishments that serve or sell alcohol, or checking in at hotels) and sometimes for official purposes such as proof of identity/nationality to authorities (especially machine-readable cards). Read more...
The 2013 enlargement of the European Union saw Croatia join the European Union as its 28th member state on 1 July 2013.

The country applied for EU membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council in mid-2004. The entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, began in October that year together with the screening process. Read more...
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by the population of the member states of the European Union (EU), divided into constituencies.

Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom are respectively divided into 3, 8, 3, 5, 13 and 12 constituencies, while the other member states have a single national constituency. In Germany, political parties are entitled to present lists of candidates either at Länder or national level. Read more...
The Community acquis or acquis communautaire (/ˈækiː kəˈmjuːnətɛər/; French: [aˌki kɔmynoˈtɛːʁ]), sometimes called the EU acquis and often shortened to acquis, is the accumulated legislation, legal acts, and court decisions which constitute the body of European Union law. The term is French: acquis meaning "that which has been acquired or obtained", and communautaire meaning "of the community". Read more...
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro and administers monetary policy of the Eurozone, which consists of 19 EU member states and is one of the largest currency areas in the world. It is one of the world's most important central banks and is one of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU) listed in the Treaty on European Union (TEU). The capital stock of the bank is owned by the central banks of all 28 EU member states. The Treaty of Amsterdam established the bank in 1998, and it is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. the President of the ECB is Mario Draghi, former governor of the Bank of Italy, former member of the World Bank, and former managing director of the Goldman Sachs international division (2002–2005). The bank primarily occupied the Eurotower prior to, and during, the construction of the new headquarters.

The primary objective of the ECB, mandated in Article 2 of the Statute of the ECB, is to maintain price stability within the Eurozone. Its basic tasks, set out in Article 3 of the Statute, are to set and implement the monetary policy for the Eurozone, to conduct foreign exchange operations, to take care of the foreign reserves of the European System of Central Banks and operation of the financial market infrastructure under the TARGET2 payments system and the technical platform (currently being developed) for settlement of securities in Europe (TARGET2 Securities). The ECB has, under Article 16 of its Statute, the exclusive right to authorise the issuance of euro banknotes. Member states can issue euro coins, but the amount must be authorised by the ECB beforehand. Read more...
The special territories of the European Union are 31 territories of EU member states which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside the European Union. The special territories divided themselves in two categories: 9 Outermost Regions (OMR) that form part of the European Union, though they benefit from derogations from some EU laws due to their geographical remoteness from mainland Europe; and 22 Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) that do not form part of the European Union, though they cooperate with the EU via the Overseas Countries and Territories Association.

The Outermost Regions were recognised at the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and confirmed by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that both primary and secondary European Union law applies automatically to the outermost regions, with possible derogations due to the particularities of these territories. The Overseas Countries and Territories are recognised by the Article 198 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union which allows them to opt into EU provisions on the freedom of movement for workers and freedom of establishment, and invites them to join the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) in order to improve cooperation with the European Union. Read more...
In economics, an optimum currency area (OCA), also known as an optimal currency region (OCR), is a geographical region in which it would maximize economic efficiency to have the entire region share a single currency.

The underlying theory describes the optimal characteristics for the merger of currencies or the creation of a new currency. The theory is used often to argue whether or not a certain region is ready to become a currency union, one of the final stages in economic integration. Read more...
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is a European Union agency charged with reducing the risk of maritime accidents, marine pollution from ships and the loss of human lives at sea by helping to enforce the pertinent EU legislation. It is headquartered in Lisbon. Read more...
EU Free trade agreements
  Agreement in force
  Agreement (in part) provisionally applied
  Agreement signed, but not applied
  Agreement initialed, not signed
  Agreement being negotiated

The European Union has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs) and other agreements with a trade component with many countries worldwide and is negotiating with many others. Read more...
European Environment Agency Building in Copenhagen in winter

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment. Read more...
The founding fathers of the European Union are 11 men officially recognised as major contributors to European unity and the development of what is now the European Union.

Sometimes emphasised are three pioneers of unification: Robert Schuman of France, Alcide De Gasperi of Italy and Konrad Adenauer of Germany. Read more...
The Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (CVM) is a safeguard measure invoked by the European Commission when a new member or acceding state of the European Union has failed to implement commitments undertaken in the context of the accession negotiations in the fields of the Area of freedom, security and justice or internal market policy. Read more...
The term euromyth is used to refer to exaggerated or invented stories about the European Union and the activities of its institutions, such as purportedly nonsensical EU legislation.

Conversely, the same term has been applied by Eurosceptics to purportedly misleading or exaggerated claims by the European Commission, and some assert that the term (in the former sense) is falsely applied to true stories. Read more...
In political science, intergovernmentalism treats states, and national governments in particular, as the primary actors in the integration process. Intergovernmentalist approaches claim to be able to explain both periods of radical change in the European Union because of converging governmental preferences and periods of inertia because of diverging national interests. Intergovernmentalism is distinguishable from realism and neorealism because of its recognition of the significance of institutionalisation in international politics and the impact of domestic politics upon governmental preferences. Read more...
The eurozone, officially called the euro area, is a monetary union of 19 of the 28 European Union (EU) member states which have adopted the euro (€) as their common currency and sole legal tender. The monetary authority of the eurozone is the Eurosystem. The other nine members of the European Union continue to use their own national currencies, although most of them are obliged to adopt the euro in the future.

The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Other EU states (except for Denmark and the United Kingdom) are obliged to join once they meet the criteria to do so. No state has left, and there are no provisions to do so or to be expelled. Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City have formal agreements with the EU to use the euro as their official currency and issue their own coins. Kosovo and Montenegro have adopted the euro unilaterally, but these countries do not officially form part of the eurozone and do not have representation in the European Central Bank (ECB) or in the Eurogroup. Read more...
The history of the European Communities between 1958 and 1972 saw the early development of the European Communities. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) had just been joined by the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Community (EEC), the latter of which soon became the most important. In 1967 the EEC's institutions took over the other two with the EEC's Commission holding its first terms under Hallstein and Rey.

In 1958 the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) was established. On 19 March the Parliamentary Assembly (replacing the Common Assembly) met for the first time for all three communities and elected Robert Schuman as its President. On 13 May members sat according to political, rather than national, allegiance for the first time. Read more...
The hemicycle of the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. 751 MEPs are elected to the European Parliament, which has been directly elected since 1979. No other EU institution is directly elected, with the Council of the European Union and the European Council being only indirectly legitimated through national elections. While Europarties have the right to campaign EU-wide for the European elections, campaigns still take place through national election campaigns, advertising national delegates from national parties. Read more...
The territories of the member states of the European Union (European Communities pre-1993), animated in order of accession. Territories outside Europe and its immediate surroundings are not shown.

The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria (after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993), which require a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual harmonisation of national laws.

The EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community, was founded with the Inner Six member states in 1958, when the Treaty of Rome came into force. Since then, the EU's membership has grown to twenty-eight, with the latest member state being Croatia, which joined in July 2013. The most recent territorial enlargement of the EU was the incorporation of Mayotte in 2014. The most notable territorial reductions of the EU, and its predecessors, were the exit of Algeria upon independence in 1962 and the exit of Greenland in 1985. Read more...
The Schengen Area ( /ˈʃɛŋən/, /ˈʃɛŋɡən/) is an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. The area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement.

Twenty-two of the twenty-eight EU member states participate in the Schengen Area. Of the six EU members that are not part of the Schengen Area, four—Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Romania—are legally obliged to join the area, while the other two—Ireland and the United Kingdom—maintain opt-outs. The four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, are not members of the EU, but have signed agreements in association with the Schengen Agreement. Three European microstates—Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican City—are de facto part of the Schengen Area. Read more...
The period saw the first moves towards European unity as the first bodies began to be established in the aftermath of the Second World War. In 1951 the first community, the European Coal and Steel Community was established and moves on new communities quickly began. Early attempts at military and political unity failed, eventually leading to the Treaties of Rome in 1957. Read more...
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFR) enshrines certain political, social, and economic rights for European Union (EU) citizens and residents into EU law. It was drafted by the European Convention and solemnly proclaimed on 7 December 2000 by the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission. However, its then legal status was uncertain and it did not have full legal effect until the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009.

Under the Charter, the European Union must act and legislate consistently with the Charter and the EU's courts will strike down legislation adopted by the EU's institutions that contravenes it. The Charter applies to the Institutions of the European Union and its member states when implementing European Union law. Read more...
The common EU format of having a blue section on the extreme left with EU circle of stars and the country code was introduced by Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998 and entered into force on the 11 November 1998. It was based on a model registration plate which three member states had already introduced: Ireland (1991), Portugal (1992) and Germany (1994). Luxembourg plates had displayed the EU flag on the left since 1988. Vehicles with EU number plates do not need to display the white oval international vehicle registration code while within the European Economic Area (EEA), or in countries signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
- The common design consists of a blue strip on the left side of the plate. This blue strip has the EU flag symbol (twelve yellow stars), along with the country code of the member state in which the vehicle is registered. The use of the EU flag on registration plates is optional for member states, but they must accept it as a valid distinguishing sign of a foreign vehicle's country of origin. EU format plates are either white or yellow, on a plate wider than it is tall.
- Yellow registration plates are used both front and rear in Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In Gibraltar, the United Kingdom and Cyprus, yellow plates are used at the rear and white at the front. Denmark and Hungary use yellow plates for vehicles registered as commercial vehicles. Denmark implemented the EU format on a voluntary basis in 2009. Danish plates have a small holographic strip to the right of the blue EU strip. In Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden yellow plates are used for taxi vehicles.
- Belgium uses red characters and is the only country not to use the standard black-on-white or black-on-yellow combination; with the introduction of European-style plates in November 2010, a slightly darker shade of red was chosen (RAL 3003) to improve legibility.
- Within the United Kingdom, motorists with vehicles registered in Great Britain may use number plates featuring the national flag of England, Scotland or Wales, or alternatively the Union Flag, together with the code name "ENG" for England, "SCO" for Scotland, "Wales" or "CYM" for Wales, "GB" for Great Britain or "UK" for United Kingdom respectively. Although not officially recognised outside the UK, they are authorised by the nation's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. However, motorists with vehicles registered in Northern Ireland fall within the jurisdiction of the Driver & Vehicle Agency, which does not permit the letters NI to appear alongside any flag; only the Union Flag alongside GB/UK or the EU format (featuring in this case the letters GB), being optionally permitted. The British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, unlike the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, counts as part of the EU and, therefore, uses number plates in the EU format.
- The UK uses flat plastic plates (embossed metal plates are an option in the UK), as opposed to metal plates in most other European countries. A mixture of plastic and metal plates is permitted in France and Ireland. Plastic plates have earlier also been used in Sweden and Norway.
Read more...
State with an opt-out

State without an opt-out

In general, the law of the European Union is valid in all of the twenty-eight European Union member states. However, occasionally member states negotiate certain opt-outs from legislation or treaties of the European Union, meaning they do not have to participate in certain policy areas. Currently, four states have such opt-outs: United Kingdom (four opt-outs), Denmark (three opt-outs), Republic of Ireland (two opt-outs) and Poland (one opt-out).

This is distinct from the enhanced cooperation, a measure introduced in the Treaty of Amsterdam, whereby a minimum of nine member states are allowed to co-operate within the structure of the European Union without involving other member states, after the European Commission and a qualified majority have approved the measure. It is further distinct from Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification and permanent acquis suspensions, whose lifting is conditional on meeting certain benchmarks by the affected member states. Read more...
The European Union (EU) is considered by some to have the most extensive environmental laws of any international organisation. Its environmental policy is significantly intertwined with other international and national environmental policies. The environmental legislation of the European Union also has significant effects on those of its member states. The European Union's environmental legislation addresses issues such as acid rain, the thinning of the ozone layer, air quality, noise pollution, waste and water pollution, and sustainable energy. The Institute for European Environmental Policy estimates the body of EU environmental law amounts to well over 500 Directives, Regulations and Decisions. Read more...
Euroscepticism (also known as EU-scepticism) means criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek reform ("soft Euroscepticism"), to those who oppose EU membership outright and see the EU as unreformable ("hard Euroscepticism" or "anti-European Unionism"/"anti-EUism"). The opposite of Euroscepticism is known as pro-Europeanism (or European Unionism).

The main sources of Euroscepticism have been beliefs that integration undermines national sovereignty and the nation state; that the EU is elitist and lacks democratic legitimacy and transparency; that it is too bureaucratic and wasteful; that it encourages high levels of migration; or perceptions that it is a neoliberal organisation serving the business elite at the expense of the working class, responsible for austerity and driving privatization. Read more...
List of books on the European Union:
- The European Dream by Jeremy Rifkin (2009) ISBN 978-1585423453* Brussels Laid Bare by Marta Andreasen (2009) St Edwards Press, ISBN 9780955418815* In de loopgraven van Brussel: de slag om een transparant Europa by Paul van Buitenen (2004) Ten Have, ISBN 9025954227* Raumschiff Brüssel. Wie die Demokratie in Europa scheitert (Spaceship Brussels. How democracy in Europe fails) by Andreas Oldag and Hans-Martin Tillack (German, 2003) S. Fischer Verlag, ISBN 9783870245788* Blowing the Whistle: Fraud in the European Commission by Paul van Buitenen (2000) Politicos Publishing, ISBN 9781902301464* The Imminent Crisis: Greek Debt and the Collapse of the European Monetary Union by Grant Wonders (2010) Cambridge: GW Publishing; CreateSpace. ISBN 1452866333.
Read more...
House of European History in Leopold Park, Brussels

The House of European History (HEH) (French: Maison de l'Histoire européenne, Dutch: Huis van de Europese geschiedenis) is a museum in Brussels, Belgium that focuses on the history of Europe since 1789. It is an initiative by the European Parliament and opened on 6 May 2017. As a cultural institution and exhibition centre, the House of European History intends to promote the understanding of European history and European integration, through a permanent exhibition and temporary and travelling exhibitions.

It houses a collection of objects and documents representative of European history, educational programs, cultural events and publications, as well as a wide range of online content. It is located in the Eastman Building near the Leopold Park in Brussels, close to the European institutions. Read more...
The European Agency for Reconstruction used to manage EU's main assistance programmes in Serbia, Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244/99), Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia. The Agency was headquartered in Thessaloniki, Greece, with operational centres in Pristina (Kosovo), Belgrade (Serbia), Podgorica (Montenegro) and Skopje (Republic of Macedonia). In December 2008, the EAR officially closed its doors as its mandate came to an end. Since its creation in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, the agency handled a portfolio of almost three billion euros. Read more...
Government procurement or public procurement is undertaken by the public authorities of the European Union (EU) and its member states in order to award contracts for public works and for the purchase of goods and services in accordance with the principles underlying the Treaties of the European Union. Public procurement represents 13.5% of EU GDP as of 2007, and has been the subject of increasing European regulation since the 1970s because of its importance to the European single market.

According to a 2011 study prepared for the European Commission by PwC, London Economics and Ecorys, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Poland and Italy were together responsible for about 75% of all public procurement in the EU and European Economic Area, both in terms of the number of contracts awarded through EU-regulated procedures and in value. The UK awarded the most contracts in value terms and France had the highest number of contracts. Read more...
The European Union plays a minor and mostly indirect policy role in sport, because (a) sport is normally considered to be outside the competences conferred by the member states to the European Union and (b) sport is in general organised internally, on a European continental level (which is not the same as the level of the European Union), or globally. Read more...
The euro (sign: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 of the 28 member states of the European Union. This group of states is known as the eurozone or euro area, and counts about 343 million citizens . The euro is the second largest and second most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar. The euro is subdivided into 100 cents.

The currency is also used officially by the institutions of the European Union, by four European microstates that are not EU members, as well as unilaterally by Montenegro and Kosovo. Outside Europe, a number of special territories of EU members also use the euro as their currency. Additionally, 240 million people worldwide use currencies pegged to the euro. Read more...
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation which aimed to bring about economic integration among its member states. It was created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957. Upon the formation of the European Union (EU) in 1993, the EEC was incorporated and renamed as the European Community (EC). In 2009 the EC's institutions were absorbed into the EU's wider framework and the community ceased to exist.

The Community's initial aim was to bring about economic integration, including a common market and customs union, among its six founding members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. It gained a common set of institutions along with the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) as one of the European Communities under the 1965 Merger Treaty (Treaty of Brussels). In 1993, a complete single market was achieved, known as the internal market, which allowed for the free movement of goods, capital, services, and people within the EEC. In 1994, the internal market was formalised by the EEA agreement. This agreement also extended the internal market to include most of the member states of the European Free Trade Association, forming the European Economic Area covering 15 countries. Read more...
The copyright law of the European Union consists of a number of directives, which the member states are obliged to enact into their national laws, and by the judgments of the European Court of Justice. Directives of the EU are passed to harmonise the laws of European Union member states. The most recent proposal is named Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. Read more...
The European Union (EU) consists of 28 member states. Each member state is party to the founding treaties of the union and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. Unlike members of most international organisations, the member states of the EU are subjected to binding laws in exchange for representation within the common legislative and judicial institutions. Member states must agree unanimously for the EU to adopt policies concerning defence and foreign policy. Subsidiarity is a founding principle of the EU.

In 1957, six core states founded the EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany). The remaining states have acceded in subsequent enlargements. On 1 July 2013, Croatia became the newest member state of the EU. To accede, a state must fulfill the economic and political requirements known as the Copenhagen criteria, which require a candidate to have a democratic, free-market government together with the corresponding freedoms and institutions, and respect for the rule of law. Enlargement of the Union is also contingent upon the consent of all existing members and the candidate's adoption of the existing body of EU law, known as the acquis communautaire. Read more...
St. Peter's Basilica from Castel Sant'Angelo showing the dome rising behind Maderno's facade.

Religion in the European Union is diverse. The largest religion in the EU is Christianity, which accounts for 71.6% of EU population. Smaller groups include those of Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and some East Asian religions, most concentrated in Germany, Britain and France. Also present are revival movements of pre-Christianity European folk religions including Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, and Druidry.

Over the last several decades, religious practice has been on the decline in a process of secularisation. Eurostat's Eurobarometer survey in 2010 showed that 20% of EU citizens don't believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force. Many countries have experienced falling church attendance and membership in recent years. Read more...
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an independent agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. The Centre was established in 2004 and is located in Solna, Sweden. Read more...
Although there has been a large degree of integration between European Union member states, foreign relations is still a largely intergovernmental matter, with the 28 members controlling their own relations to a large degree. However, with the Union holding more weight as a single bloc, there are at times^[vague] attempts to speak with one voice, notably on trade and energy matters. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy personifies this role. Read more...
This is list of European Union member states by unemployment and employment rate. Read more...
A directive is a legal act of the European Union which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. It can be distinguished from regulations, which are self-executing and do not require any implementing measures. Directives normally leave member states with a certain amount of leeway as to the exact rules to be adopted. Directives can be adopted by means of a variety of legislative procedures depending on their subject matter.

The text of a draft directive (if subject to the co-decision process, as contentious matters usually are) is prepared by the Commission after consultation with its own and national experts. The draft is presented to the Parliament and the Council—composed of relevant ministers of member governments, initially for evaluation and comment then subsequently for approval or rejection. Read more...
EU agencies

An agency of the European Union is a decentralised body of the European Union (EU), which is distinct from the institutions. Agencies are established to accomplish specific tasks. Each agency has its own legal personality. Some answer the need to develop scientific or technical know-how in certain fields, others bring together different interest groups to facilitate dialogue at European and international level.

There are more than forty agencies, divided into four groups: Read more...

Did you know...

... that Brexit: The Movie, a documentary film advocating that the United Kingdom withdraw from the European Union, was crowdfunded by 1,800 contributors?
... that Full Fact fact-checked the Brexit referendum?
... that Xavier Bettel became the first European Union leader to marry someone of the same sex when he married Gauthier Destenay in 2015?
... that the death of Venezuelan politician Fernando Albán Salazar led to protests in Caracas, and calls for investigations by the European Union and the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner?
... that the European Commission ruled the Republic of Ireland's tax benefits to Apple were an illegal form of state aid, and the company would have to pay €13 billion in back tax as a result?

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Selected images

President of the European Council, Donald Tusk
EU Free trade agreements (2017)
  European Union
  Agreement in force
  Pending
  Negotiating
  Suspended
The Lisbon Treaty entered into force in 2009
Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, renacentist humanist that gave name to Erasmus Programme
Group photograph of European Union heads of government on occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome in Rome, Italy
Approximate extent of completed motorway network in Europe
The euro was introduced in 2002, replacing 12 national currencies. Seven countries have since joined.
Organigram of the political system with the seven institutions of the Union in blue, national / intergovernmental elements in orange
The Congress of Vienna met in 1814–15. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire.
Euronews headquarters in Lyon, France
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European Environment Agency in Copenhagen.
European Health Insurance Card
(Slovenian version pictured)
Bust of Charlemagne with the German Reichsadler embossed on the metal and the French fleur-de-lis embroidered on the fabric. Aachen Cathedral Treasury
The continental territories of the member states of the European Union (European Communities pre-1993), coloured in order of accession
The Court of Justice, seated in Luxembourg
The Bulgarian fleet in Varna, Black Sea.
The hemicycle of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
EU population density in 2014
Out of the 28 EU member states, 22 are also members of NATO. Another three NATO members are EU applicants – Albania, Montenegro and Turkey.
The Parada Równości in Warsaw in 2018, when the Court of Justice declared that same-sex spouses have EU residence rights.
Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker
Eiffel Tower, Paris
The Roman Empire in AD 117, at its greatest extent (with its vassals in pink).
Europe in the Early Middle Ages
Scheme of Indo-European migrations from c. 4000 to 1000 BCE according to the Kurgan hypothesis
  The assumed Urheimat (Samara culture, Sredny Stog culture) and the subsequent Yamnaya culture.
  Area possibly settled up to c. 2500 BCE.
  Area settled up to 1000 BCE.
The European Capital of Culture programme was launched in the summer of 1985 with Athens being the first title-holder
Football is one of the most popular sports in the European Union. (Camp Nou in Barcelona)
Vineyards in Romania; EU farms are supported by the Common Agricultural Policy, the largest budgetary expenditure.
The seat of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. 19 of the 28 EU member states have adopted the euro as their legal tender.
Lithuania held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2013.
The Eurozone (dark blue) represents 340 million people. The euro is the second-largest reserve currency in the world.
Europa and the bull, depicted by Jean-François de Troy (1716)
In 1989, the Iron Curtain fell, enabling the Community to expand further (Berlin Wall pictured)

In the news

14 February 2019 – Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, February 2019 Warsaw Conference: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accuses European Union members of trying to break U.S. sanctions against Iran, and calls on the EU to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. (Reuters)
14 February 2019 – Brexit: The House of Commons votes to reject British Prime Minister Theresa May's negotiating strategy with the EU, though this motion has no legal force. (BBC News)
4 February 2019 – 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis: Several European Union states, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Spain, officially recognize Juan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro rejects the European ultimatum to call a new snap election. Other European Union countries, such as Greece and Ireland, stop short of recognizing Guaidó, while Italy's leading coalition party, the 5 Star Movement, declares that it is not "for the EU to tell another nation what to do". (BBC)
21 January 2019 – Brexit: The Labour Party proposes an amendment to the Brexit deal which would require a second referendum before the United Kingdom fully exits the European Union. (The Guardian)