About EU ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ

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The EU was not always as big as it is today. When European countries started to cooperate economically in 1951, only Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands participated.

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Over time, more and more countries decided to join. The Union currently counts 27 EU countries. The United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union on 31 January 2020.

The 27 member countries of the EU

BY ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Countries
AustriaItaly
BelgiumLatvia
BulgariaLithuania
CroatiaLuxembourg
CyprusMalta
CzechiaNetherlands
DenmarkPoland
EstoniaPortugal
FinlandRomania
FranceSlovakia
GermanySlovenia
GreeceSpain
HungarySweden
Ireland

BY YEAR OF ENTRY

Year of entryCountries
01/01/1958Belgium
France
Germany
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
01/01/1973Denmark
Ireland
United Kingdom (left on 31 January 2020)
01/01/1981Greece
01/01/1986Portugal
Spain
01/01/1995Austria
Finland
Sweden
01/05/2004Cyprus
Czechia
Estonia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia
01/01/2007Bulgaria
Romania
01/07/2013Croatia

All EU member countries in brief

Countries using the euro

The euro (โ‚ฌ) is the official currency of 19 out of 27 EU countries. These countries are collectively known as the Eurozone.

Which countries use the euro?

Members of the Schengen border-free area

The Schengen Area is one of the greatest achievements of the EU. It is an area without internal borders, an area within which citizens, many non-EU nationals, business people and tourists can freely circulate without being subjected to border checks. Since 1985, it has gradually grown and encompasses today almost all EU countries and a few associated non-EU countries.

While having abolished their internal borders, Schengen States have also tightened controls at their common external border on the basis of Schengen rules to ensure the security of those living or travelling in the Schengen Area.

List of countries in Schengen area

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland

More about the Schengen area

Joining the EU

Becoming a member of the EU is a complex procedure which does not happen overnight. Once an applicant country meets the conditions for membership, it must implement EU rules and regulations in all areas.

Any country that satisfies the conditions for membership can apply. These conditions are known as the โ€˜Copenhagen criteriaโ€™ and include a free-market economy, a stable democracy and the rule of law, and the acceptance of all EU legislation, including of the euro.

A country wishing to join the EU submits a membership application to the Council, which asks the Commission to assess the applicantโ€™s ability to meet the Copenhagen criteria. If the Commissionโ€™s opinion is positive, the Council must then agree upon a negotiating mandate. Negotiations are then formally opened on a subject-by-subject basis.

Due to the huge volume of EU rules and regulations each candidate country must adopt as national law, the negotiations take time to complete. The candidates are supported financially, administratively and technically during this pre-accession period.

Candidate countries

These countries are in the process of ‘transposing’ (or integrating) EU legislation into national law:

Potential candidates

Potential candidate countries do not yet fulfil the requirements for EU membership:

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Kosovo*
    * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

More about enlargement

Other European countries

https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries_en

Goals and values of the EU

Goals

The goals of the European Union are:

  • promote peace, its values and the well-being of its citizens
  • offer freedom, security and justice without internal borders
  • sustainable development based on balanced economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive market economy with full employment and social progress, and environmental protection
  • combat social exclusion and discrimination
  • promote scientific and technological progress
  • enhance economic, social and territorial cohesion and solidarity among EU countries
  • respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity
  • establish an economic and monetary union whose currency is the euro.

Values

The EU values are common to the EU countries in a society in which inclusion, tolerance, justice, solidarity and non-discrimination prevail. These values are an integral part of our European way of life:

  • Human dignity
    Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected, protected and constitutes the real basis of fundamental rights.
  • Freedom
    Freedom of movement gives citizens the right to move and reside freely within the Union. Individual freedoms such as respect for private life, freedom of thought, religion, assembly, expression and information are protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
  • Democracy
    The functioning of the EU is founded on representative democracy. Being a European citizen also means enjoying political rights. Every adult EU citizen has the right to stand as a candidate and to vote in elections to the European Parliament. EU citizens have the right to stand as candidate and to vote in their country of residence, or in their country of origin.
  • Equality
    Equality is about equal rights for all citizens before the law. The principle of equality between women and men underpins all European policies and is the basis for European integration. It applies in all areas. The principle of equal pay for equal work became part of the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Although inequalities still exist, the EU has made significant progress.
  • Rule of law
    The EU is based on the rule of law. Everything the EU does is founded on treaties, voluntarily and democratically agreed by its EU countries. Law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary. The EU countries gave final jurisdiction to the European Court of Justice which judgements have to be respected by all.
  • Human rights
    Human rights are protected by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. These cover the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, the right to the protection of your personal data, and or the right to get access to justice.

These goals and values form the basis of the EU and are laid out in the Lisbon Treaty and the EU Charter of fundamental rights.

In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/eu-in-brief_en

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