Global InformationEuropean Union information
European Union
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Flag | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motto: "In Varietate Concordia" (Latin) "United in Diversity" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anthem: "Anthem of Europe" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location of the European Union (dark green) in Europe (dark grey) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | Brussels (de facto)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Institutional seats | Brussels
Frankfurt
Luxembourg
Strasbourg
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Largest metropolis | Paris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official languages | 24 languages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official scripts |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religion (2015)[2] |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | European | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Continental union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Membership | 27 members
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Mixed intergovernmental directorial parliamentary confederation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• President of the European Council | Charles Michel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• President of the Commission | Ursula von der Leyen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Presidency of the Council of the European Union |  Belgium[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• President of the European Parliament | Roberta Metsola | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legislature | The European Parliament and the Council | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Upper house | Council of the European Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Lower house | European Parliament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Formation[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Treaty of Paris | 18 April 1951 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Treaty of Rome | 1 January 1958 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Single European Act | 1 July 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Treaty of Maastricht | 1 November 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Treaty of Lisbon | 1 December 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | 4,233,262 km2 (1,634,472 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Water (%) | 3.08 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• 2023 estimate |  448,387,872[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Density | 106/km2 (274.5/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Total |  $25.399 trillion[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Per capita | $56,928[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | $17.818 trillion[6] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Per capita | $39,940 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gini (2020) |  30.0[7]medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) Others
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC to UTC+2 (WET, CET, EET) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 to UTC+3 (WEST, CEST, EEST) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (see also Summer time in Europe)[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Internet TLD | .eu, .ею, .ευ[b] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website europa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe.[8][9] The Union has a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated total population of over 448 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison) combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.[10][11]
Containing 5.8% of the world population in 2020,[c] EU member states generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$16.6 trillion in 2022, constituting approximately one sixth of global nominal GDP.[13] Additionally, all EU states except Bulgaria have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. Its cornerstone, the Customs Union, paved the way to establishing an internal single market based on standardised legal framework and legislation that applies in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market;[14] enact legislation in justice and home affairs; and maintain common policies on trade,[15] agriculture,[16] fisheries and regional development.[17] Passport controls have been abolished for travel within the Schengen Area.[18] The eurozone is a group composed of the 20 EU member states that have fully implemented the economic and monetary union and use the euro currency. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the union has developed a role in external relations and defence. It maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20. Due to its global influence, the European Union has been described by some scholars as an emerging superpower.[19][20][21]
The EU was established, along with its citizenship, when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993, and was incorporated as an international legal juridical person[clarification needed] upon entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009.[22] Its beginnings can be traced to the Inner Six states (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany) at the start of modern European integration in 1948, and to the Western Union, the International Authority for the Ruhr, the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, which were established by treaties. These increasingly amalgamated bodies grew, with their legal successor the EU, both in size through the accessions of a further 22 states from 1973 to 2013, and in power through acquisitions of policy areas.
In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.[23] The United Kingdom became the only member state to leave the EU, in 2020;[24] ten countries are aspiring or negotiating to join it.
- ^ Cybriwsky, Roman Adrian (2013). Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-61069-248-9.
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is considered to be the de facto capital of the EU
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
EB2015was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Riegert, Bernd (1 January 2024). "Belgium's bold EU Council agenda". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Current Article 1 of the Treaty on European Union reads: "The Union shall be founded on the present Treaty and on the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Those two Treaties shall have the same legal value. The Union shall replace and succeed the European Community".
- ^ "Population on 1 January". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2022 (EU countries)". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "Glossary of Statistical Terms – COPENHAGEN CRITERIA". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "The EU in brief". European Union. 16 June 2016.
- ^ Phelan, William (2012). "What Is Sui Generis About the European Union? Costly International Cooperation in a Self-Contained Regime". International Studies Review. 14 (3): 367–385. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2486.2012.01136.x.
- ^ Hlavac, Marek (2010). "Less than a State, More than an International Organization: The Sui Generis Nature of the European Union" (PDF). Central European Labour Studies Institute. Rochester, N.Y. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1719308. S2CID 153480456.
- ^ "European Union reaches 500 Million through Combination of Accessions, Migration and Natural Growth". Vienna Institute of Demography. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
- ^ "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2022". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ European Commission. "The EU Single Market: Fewer barriers, more opportunities". Europa web portal. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
"Activities of the European Union: Internal Market". Europa web portal. Retrieved 29 June 2007. - ^ "Common commercial policy". Europa Glossary. Europa web portal. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2008.
- ^ "Agriculture and Fisheries Council". The Council of the European Union. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
- ^ "Regional Policy Inforegio". Europa web portal. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
- ^ "Schengen area". Europa web portal. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ McCormick 2007.
- ^ Rifkin, Jeremy (2004). The European Dream. Polity Press. ISBN 1-58542-345-9.
- ^ Moravcsik, Andrew (2009). "Europe: The quiet superpower". French Politics. 7 (3–4): 403–422. doi:10.1057/fp.2009.29. ISSN 1476-3419. S2CID 143049416.
- ^ Craig & De Burca 2011, p. 15.
- ^ "EU collects Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo". BBC News. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
- ^ Rawlinson, Kevin; Topping, Alexandra; Murphy, Simon; Henley, Jon; Murray, Jessica; Freedland, Jonathan; Rawlinson, Kevin (1 February 2020). "Brexit day: end of an era as United Kingdom leaves EU – as it happened-GB". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).