European Union

The European Union is a political and economic union of twenty-seven European states, founded by the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 on the foundations of earlier European Communities dating back to 1951. The EU operates a single market, a customs union, common policies on agriculture, fisheries, and regional development, and a partial monetary union via the euro.

At a glance

• Founded: 1993 (Maastricht Treaty signed 7 February 1992, entered into force 1 November 1993)
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium  ·  Strasbourg, France (European Parliament); Luxembourg City (Court of Justice)
• Official languages: 24 official languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Dutch
• Website: european-union.europa.eu

Mission

The EU's founding values are human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. Its core economic mission is to provide an area of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers — guaranteeing the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital across member states.

Structure

The EU has seven principal institutions. The European Parliament represents EU citizens and is directly elected. The European Council brings together heads of state or government to set overall direction. The Council of the European Union represents member-state governments. The European Commission proposes legislation and enforces EU law. The Court of Justice ensures uniform interpretation of EU law. The European Central Bank manages the euro. The Court of Auditors checks the funds. Twenty member states use the euro as their currency; seven retain their own.

Member states

EU has 27 member states. Membership current as of 2024-01.

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

Key facts

• The EU's combined economy is the third-largest in the world by nominal GDP, after the United States and China.
• The euro is the second-most-traded currency globally and the second-largest reserve currency.
• Schengen Area membership (free movement, no border checks) is separate from EU membership: four EU states are not in Schengen, and four non-EU states (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) are.
• The European Parliament shifts between Brussels and Strasbourg every month for plenary sessions — a politically charged tradition that costs an estimated €100 million per year.
• The United Kingdom became the first member state to leave, in January 2020, after a referendum in 2016.

Historic milestones