European Union (EU) Map

About European Union

Established by the Maastricht Treaty of 1993 and consolidated by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, the European Union is a 28-member strong community of states that are geographically located in Europe. The European Union has a population of over 500 million people or about 7.3% of the population of the world.

The need for a body such as this was felt in order to prevent the consequences of nationalism taken to extreme ends, as had happened prior to the First and Second World Wars. The European Union formally began coming together after the formation of the the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1958. This sought to ease trade and travel restrictions and promote economic and political cooperation between European nations. In 2012, the European Union was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for its contributions "to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe".

The founding member countries of the European Union are: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. Membership has risen to 28 countries, with another five candidate countries witing for approval to join. These are: Iceland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey. Several microstates in Europe are not EU members but use the common currency and cooperate with EU members in various policy areas. These include: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican.

Some of the European Union's institutions which have a bearing on various aspects of public policy in the EU are: the European Parliament (whose office-bearers are elected every five years), the European Central Bank, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Court of Auditors, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and the European Council.




The common currency, the Euro, came into effect in 2002 and is now one of the world's major currencies. A common passport is also applicable in the Schengen Area which covers 22 European Union countries and four states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland), which are part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Facts about the EU : 

• List of current EU countries (in alphabetical order) :  Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
• Capital of the EU : Brussels (de facto, there is no official capital).
• European Council President :  Donald Tusk
• European Commission President :  Jean-Claude Juncker
• European Parliament President  :  Antonio Tajani
• EU Flag : Depicts 12 golden stars on a deep blue background.
• EU Anthem : "Ode to Joy" by the great German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven.