The European Union
The European Union (EU) is an intergovernmental union of 27 democratic member states - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania - the area of 3,892,685 km² and over 450 million people.
The European Union is the world's largest confederation of independent states, established under that name in 1992 by the Treaty on European Union (the Maastricht Treaty). The capital of the EU is Brussels. There are 20 official languages.
The European Union is a family of democratic European countries, committed to working together for peace and prosperity. It is an organization for international cooperation, and it does not intend to replace existing states Any European country can join the EU if it has a stable democracy that guarantees the rule of law, human rights and the protection of minorities. It must also have a functioning market economy and a civil service capable of applying EU laws.
The member states have set up common institutions to which they delegate some of their sovereignty so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at European level.
The most important EU institutions include the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Court of Justice, the European Parliament, and
The most important EU institutions include the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Court of Justice, the European Parliament, and the European Central Bank.
The European Union's activities cover most areas of public policy, from economic policy to foreign affairs, defence, agriculture and trade. Their main aspects are:
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free trade of goods and services among member states
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freedom for citizens of its member states to live and work anywhere within the EU
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a single currency, the euro (excluding the UK and Denmark)
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a common external customs tariff
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funding for the development of disadvantaged regions
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cooperation in criminal matters, including sharing of intelligence (through EUROPOL and the Schengen Information System)
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a common security policy (60,000-member European Rapid Reaction Force for peacekeeping purposes, an EU military staff)
The Constitution for the EU now has an uncertain future. It was ratified by 13 member states. However 54.7% of French voters and 61.6% of voters in the Netherlands rejected the constitution.
It is interesting to know:
History of Country's Membership
1952 - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands 1973 - Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom 1981 - Greece 1986 - Portugal, Spain 1995 - Austria, Finland, Sweden 2004 - Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia
2007 – Bulgaria, Romania
Croatia and Turkey are the official candidate countries to join the European Union.
The EU symbols
The European flag - the 12 stars in a circle symbolize the ideals of perfection, completeness and unity.
The European anthem - the melody comes from the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven.
Europe Day, 9 May - is celebrated each year as the EU’s birthday (1950)
“United in diversity” - is the motto of the EU.
Euro banknotes
The euro (€), is probably the EU’s most tangible achievement. It is the single currency, shared by 13 countries. This number will rise as the new member countries adopt the euro, once their economies are ready.
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EU countries using the euro:
Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France,
Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland, Slovakia. EU countries not using the euro: Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.