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European Union Европейски съюз (Bulgarian)
Evropská unie (Czech)
Den Europæiske Union (Danish)
Europese Unie (Dutch)
Euroopa Liit (Estonian)
Euroopan unioni (Finnish)
Union européenne (French)
Europäische Union (German)
Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (Greek)
Európai Unió (Hungarian)
An tAontas Eorpach (Irish)
Unione Europea (Italian)
Eiropas Savienība (Latvian)
Europos Sąjunga (Lithuanian)
L-Unjoni Ewropea (Maltese)
Unia Europejska (Polish)
União Europeia (Portuguese)
Uniunea Europeană (Romanian)
Európska únia (Slovak)
Evropska unija (Slovenian)
Unión Europea (Spanish)
Europeiska unionen (Swedish)
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Motto:In varietate concordia(Latin)
"United in diversity"[Symbols of the EU. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2008-01-09.] |
Anthem:Ode to Joy
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| Political centres | Brussels
Strasbourg
Luxembourg
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| Official languages |
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| Demonym |
European
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| Member states |
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| Government |
Sui generis |
| - |
Commission |
José Manuel Barroso (EPP) |
| - |
Parliament |
Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) |
| - |
Council |
Slovenia |
| - |
European Council |
Janez Janša (EPP) |
| Formation |
|---|
| - |
Paris Treaty |
18 April 1951 |
| - |
Rome Treaty |
25 March 1957 |
| - |
Maastricht Treaty |
7 February 1992 |
| Area |
| - |
Total |
4,324,782km²(7th¹)
1,669,807sqmi |
| - |
Water(%) |
3.08 |
| Population |
| - |
2008estimate |
497,198,740(3rd¹) |
| - |
Density |
114/km²(69th¹)
289/sqmi |
| GDP(PPP) |
2007 (IMF)estimate |
| - |
Total |
$14,953 billion(1st¹) |
| - |
Per capita |
$28,213(14th¹) |
| GDP (nominal) |
2007 (IMF)estimate |
| - |
Total |
$16,574 billion(1st¹) |
| - |
Per capita |
$33,482(13th¹) |
| Currency |
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| Time zone |
(UTC+0 to +2) |
| - |
Summer(DST) |
(UTC+1 to +3) |
| Internet TLD |
.eu |
| 1 |
If listed among entities with traditional nation state status. |
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic community of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Europe. It was created in 1993 by the Treaty of Maastricht, adding new areas of policy to the existing European Community
The EU establishes a single market created by a system of laws which apply in all member states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital.[The EU Single Market: Fewer barriers, more opportunities. Europa (web portal), European Commission. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. Activities of the European Union: Internal Market. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-29.] It maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a regional development policy.[Farah, Paolo (2006). Five Years of China WTO Membership. EU and US Perspectives about China\'s Compliance with Transparency Commitments and the Transitional Review Mechanism. Social Science Research Network. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.] In 1999 it introduced a common currency, the euro, which has been adopted by fifteen member states. It has developed a role in foreign policy, representing its members in the World Trade Organization (WTO), at G8 summits and at the United Nations (UN). Twenty-one EU countries are members of NATO. It has developed a role in justice and home affairs, including the abolition of passport control between many member states under the Schengen Agreement.[ Abolition of internal borders and creation of a single EU external frontier. Europa (web portal) (2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-24.]
Much of the EU\'s functioning depends upon agreement between the member states, an intergovernmental feature common to most international organisations.[Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (2006). Lexicon: Internationale Organisationen. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.] However, it also has supranational bodies, able to make decisions without the agreement of member states. Important institutions and bodies of the EU include the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. EU citizens elect the Parliament every five years.
The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then the EU has grown in size through the accession of new member states and has increased its powers by the addition of new policy areas to its remit. The Treaty of Lisbon signed in December 2007 is intended to amend the existing treaties to update the political and legal structure of the union, if ratification is completed in 2008. The EU countries have almost 500million citizens generating an estimated 31% share of the world\'s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) (US$16.6 trillion) in 2007.
History
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The political climate after the end of World War II favoured Western European unity, seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism which had devastated the continent.[The political consequences. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.] One of the first successful proposals for European cooperation came in 1951 with the European Coal and Steel Community. This had the aim of bringing together control of the coal and steel industries of its member states, principally France and West Germany. This was with the aim that war between them would not then be possible, as coal and steel were the principal resources for waging war. The Community\'s founders declared it "a first step in the federation of Europe"", with the hope that this would enable Europe to pursue the development of Africa.[Declaration of 9 May 1950. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-09-05.] The other founding members were Italy, and the three Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.[A peaceful Europe - the beginnings of cooperation. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.]
European Community
Two additional communities were created in 1957: the European Economic Community (EEC) establishing a customs union, and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear energy.[Merging the executives. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.]
In 1973 the European Communities enlarged to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom.[The first enlargement. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.] Norway had negotiated to join at the same time but a referendum rejected membership and so it remained outside.
The first direct, democratic elections of members of the European Parliament were held in 1979.[The new European Parliament. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.] They were the first European elections to be held, allowing citizens to elect 410 MEPs to the European Parliament, and also the first international election in history.
Greece, Spain and Portugal joined in the 1980s.[Negotiations for enlargement. European NAvigator. Retrieved on 2007-06-25.] The Schengen Agreement in 1985 created largely open borders without passport controls between most member states.[A Europe without frontiers. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.] In 1986 the European flag began to be used and leaders signed the Single European Act. This revised the way community decision making operated to take account of its greater membership, aimed to further reduce trade barriers and introduce greater European Political Cooperation.
European Union
In 1990 after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the former East Germany became part of the Community as part of a newly reunited Germany.[1980-1989 The changing face of Europe - the fall of the Berlin Wall. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.] With enlargement toward eastern Europe on the agenda, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed.
The Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993.[Treaty of Maastricht on European Union. Activities of the European Union. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.; Craig, Paul; Grainne De Burca , P. P. Craig (2006). EU Law: Text, Cases and Materials, 4th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p15. ISBN 978-0-19-927389-8.] Maastricht established a revised structure and the name \'European Community\' officially replaced the earlier \'European Communities\'. The European Community now formed one of three pillars of the new European Union, which included co-operation in matters of foreign policy and home affairs. The term European Union generally replaced the term European Community, which will be abolished by the Treaty of Lisbon along with the pillar system.
Austria, Sweden and Finland joined in 1995. The Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 amended the Maastricht treaty in areas such as democracy and foreign policy. Amsterdam was followed by the Treaty of Nice in 2001, which revised the Rome and Maastricht treaties to allow the EU to cope with further enlargement to the east.
In 2002 euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. In 2004 ten new countries (eight of which had formerly been Eastern Bloc countries) joined the EU.[A decade of further expansion. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.] At the start of 2007 Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU and the euro was adopted by Slovenia. On 1 January 2008, Malta and Cyprus joined the Eurozone. A treaty establishing a constitution for the EU was signed in Rome in 2004, intended to replace all previous treaties with a new single document. However, it never completed ratification after rejection by French and Dutch voters in referenda. In 2007, it was agreed to replace that proposal with a new Reform Treaty, that would amend rather than replace the existing treaties. This treaty was signed on 13 December 2007 in Lisbon and is known as the Lisbon treaty.
Member states
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The European Union is composed of 27 independent sovereign countries which are known as member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.[European Countries. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-09-05.] There are three official candidate countries, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia and Turkey; the western Balkan countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia are officially recognised as potential candidates.[European Commission - Enlargement - Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.]
To join the EU, a country must meet the Copenhagen criteria, defined at the 1993 Copenhagen European Council. These require a stable democracy which respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy capable of competition within the EU; 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.[Accession criteria (Copenhagen criteria). Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.] The current framework does not specify how a country could exit the Union (although Greenland withdrew in 1985), but the proposed Treaty of Lisbon contains a formal procedure for withdrawing.
Four Western European countries that have chosen not to join the EU have partly committed to the EU\'s economy and regulations: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are a part of the single market through the European Economic Area, and Switzerland has similar ties through bilateral treaties. [The EU\'s relations with Switzerland. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-09-16.] The relationships of european microstates Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein and Vatican City can include use of the euro and other co-operation.
Geography
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The territory of the EU consists of the combined territories of its 27 member states with some exceptions outlined below. The territory of the EU is not the same as that of Europe, as parts of the continent are outside the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway and European Russia. Some parts of member countries are not part of the EU, despite forming part of the European continent (for example the Channel Islands and Faroe Islands). Several territories associated with member states that are outside geographic Europe are also not part of the EU (such as Greenland, Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles and all the non-European territories associated with the United Kingdom). Some overseas territories are part of the EU even if they are not geographically part of Europe, such as the Azores, the Canary Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Madeira, Martinique, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin.[EUR-Lex: Official Journal. Treaty of Amsterdam. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-29.][EUR-Lex. Consolidated Treaties on European Union and establishing the European Community. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.][Where is the euro legal tender? (PDF). European Central Bank (2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.]
The EU\'s member states cover a combined area of 4,422,773square kilometres (1,707,642sqmi).[Figure including the four French overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion) which are an integral part of the EU, but excluding the French overseas collectivities and territories, which are not part of the EU.] The total territory of the EU is larger than all but six countries and its highest peak is Mont Blanc in the Graian Alps, 4807metres above sea level. The landscape, climate and economy of the EU are influenced by its coastline, which is 69,342kilometres (43,087mi) long. The EU has the world\'s second longest coastline, after Canada. The combined member states share land borders with 21 non-member states for a total of 12,441kilometres (7,730mi), the fifth longest border in the world.[European countries. Europa (web portal) (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-29.][European Union. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.][Countries of the Earth. home.comcast.net (2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-08.]
Including the overseas territories of member states, the EU experiences most types of climate from Arctic to tropical, rendering meteorological averages for the EU as a whole meaningless. In practice, the majority of the population lives either in areas with a Mediterranean climate (Southern Europe), a temperate maritime climate (Western Europe), or a warm summer continental or hemiboreal climate (Eastern Europe).[Humid Continental Climate. The physical environment. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-29.]
Governance
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The EU is based on a series of treaties. These first established the European Community and the EU, and then made amendments to those founding treaties.[Sources of EU law. Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-09-05.] The treaties lay down the broad policy goals of the organisation and establish institutions with the necessary legal powers to implement those goals. These legal powers include the ability to enact legislation[ EUR-Lex. European Community consolidated treaty, (article 249, provisions for making regulations). Europa (web portal). Retrieved on 2007-11-08.] which can directly affect all member states and their inhabitants (the principle of \'direct effect\').[According to the principle of direct Effect first invoked in the Court of Justice\'s decision in Van Gend en Loos v. Nederlanse Administratie Der Belastingen, Eur-Lex (European Court of Justice 1963).. See: Craig and de Búrca, ch. 5.] National courts are required to enforce the EU treaties and the laws enacted under them, as membership of the organisation obliges them to do so. In the case of a conflict where a law stemming from EU legislation conflicts with another national law, the EU law is considered to take precedence (principle of \'Supremacy\').[According to the principle of Supremacy as established by the ECJ in Case 6/64, Falminio Costa v. ENEL [1964] ECR 585. See Craig and de Búrca, ch. 7. See also: Factortame Ltd. v. Secretary of State for Transport (No. 2) [1991] 1 AC 603, Solange II (Re Wuensche Handelsgesellschaft, BVerfG decision of 22 Oct. 1986 [1987] 3 CMLR 225,265) and Frontini v. Ministero delle Finanze [1974] 2 CMLR 372; Raoul George Nicolo [1990] 1 CMLR 173.] Decisions regarding EU legislation may be referred to the European Court of Justice by national courts. The EU is regulated by a number of institutions, primarily the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and European Parliament.
The EU is often described as being divided into three areas of responsibility, called "pillars". The original European Community policies form the first pillar, while the second consists of Common Foreign and Security Policy. The third pillar originally consisted of Justice and Home Affairs, however owing to changes introduced by the Amsterdam and Nice treaties, it currently only consists of Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters. Broadly speaking, the second and third pillars can be described as the intergovernmental pillars because the supranational institutions of the Commission, Parliament and the Court of Justice play less of a role or none at all, while the lead is taken by the intergovernmental Council of Ministers and the European Council. Most activities of the EU come under the first, Community pillar. This is mostly economically oriented and the supranational institutions have more | | | | |
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