The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 European countries that have chosen to work together closely for peace, stability, and economic prosperity. The EU's core principles include the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital among member states, creating a single market and a common currency, the Euro, which is used by 19 of the member countries.
The European Union (EU) was officially formed on November 1, 1993, with the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty. The founders of the European Union, often referred to as its "founder members," are the six founding countries of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), which were the precursors to the modern EU. These six founding members are:
There were 12 members in European Union at the time of its official formation in 1993, namely, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom.
The maximum membership of the EU from its formation in 1993 was 28 member countries. The United Kingdom left the EU on January 31, 2020, through a process known as Brexit, reducing the membership to 27 countries.
The EU Parliament is composed of 705 members with Germany having the largest representation of 96 members.
The motto of European Union is In varietate concordia in Latin which means (United in diversity)
The flag of the European Union features a circle of 12 gold stars on a blue background. They stand for the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe.
# | Country | Capital | Currency | Date of Joining |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Austria | Vienna | Euro | 1995 |
2. | Belgium | City of Brussels | Euro | 1952 |
3. | Bulgaria | Sofia | Lev | 2007 |
4. | Cyprus | Nicosia | Euro | 2004 |
5. | Czech Republic | Prague | Koruna | 2004 |
6. | Denmark | Copenhagen | Krone | 1973 |
7. | Estonia | Talinn | Euro | 2004 |
8. | Finland | Helsinki | Euro | 1995 |
9. | France | Paris | Euro | 1952 |
10. | Germany | Berlin | Euro | 1952 |
11. | Greece | Athens | Euro | 1981 |
12. | Hungary | Budapest | Forint | 2004 |
13. | Ireland | Dublin | Euro | 1973 |
14. | Italy | Rome | Euro | 1952 |
15. | Latvia | Riga | Euro | 2004 |
16. | Lithuania | Vilnius | Euro | 2004 |
17. | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Euro | 1952 |
18. | Malta | Valletta | Euro | 2004 |
19. | Netherlands | Amsterdam | Euro | 1952 |
20. | Poland | Warsaw | Zloty | 2004 |
21. | Portugal | Lisbon | Euro | 1986 |
22. | Romania | Bucharest | Leu | 2007 |
23. | Slovakia | Bratislava | Euro | 2004 |
24. | Slovenia | Ljubljana | Euro | 2004 |
25. | Spain | Madrid | Euro | 1986 |
26. | Sweden | Stockholm | Krona | 1995 |
27. | Croatia | Zagreb | Euro | 2013 |
The 20 countries which have Euro as their currency form the Eurozone. United Kingdom left the Union on 31 January 2020. |