Countries that are members of the EU. Which countries are part of the European Union

Against the backdrop of the collapse of the largest association in Eurasia - the USSR, 28 European powers organized their own unification - European Union. What it is today is known, perhaps, to all more or less literate people. However, there are a number of subtleties in the relations of the countries within it, as well as in the relations of this association with the Russian Federation.

How was the European Union formed?

The European Union combines the characteristics of a state and an international organization. However, in fact, he is neither one nor the other. Legally, it is not enshrined as a subject of international law, but actually takes part in international relations.

The population is more than five hundred million people. The official languages ​​are the languages ​​of all member states. In addition, the EU has its own flag and anthem, which are signs of statehood. Throughout the territory of the association there is a single currency - the euro.

The EU was not formed in a day. Attempts to combine production from different countries began in 1952. The association that we know today exists since 1992. At the same time, the list of its participants has only expanded to this day.

Here is the complete list of states (28 countries) that are members of the European Union for 2019 (in alphabetical order):

		Date of entry
	Republic of Austria
	Bulgaria
	Great Britain
	Germany
	Ireland
	Republic of Cyprus
	Luxembourg
	Netherlands
	Portugal
	Slovenia
	Slovakia
	Finland
	Croatia

The complexity of the existence of this association is largely due to the inability of states to observe only their own interests in economic and political terms. All participating countries are obliged to act on the agreement, and any of them can impose a ban on a particular proposal.

Despite the fact that the European Union has its main base in Brussels, the official capital of the European Union has not been determined. All 28 participating countries take turns presiding over a six-month period.

Who left the European Union?

To date there are no countries that have left the European Union. However, the UK first announced this intention after many years of cooperation in 2016. The exit process is lengthy and requires resolving many issues.

Short for the name of Great Britain ( Br itain) and the English word " exit" - output, a name appeared such as the name of the process, such as Brexit (Brexit). Officially, England can be considered to have left the organization after ratifying the withdrawal agreement.

Political scientists predict imminent exit from the European Union and some other states:

• Sweden . Due to the fact that it is the prototype of Great Britain in the Scandinavian world and does not agree with some EU decisions. In addition, a single currency was never established on its territory;
• Denmark . Since in 2015 a referendum was held there on the integration of the legal settlement. However, the people voted against the majority, which indicates an unwillingness to rejoin the organization for precautionary reasons;
• Greece , whose economy is not in the best position, and therefore many member countries are in favor of its exclusion from membership;
• Netherlands , because many residents, according to the results of a survey, would like to leave the ranks of the union following Great Britain;
• Hungary does not agree with the EU policy towards refugees and is ready to decide in a referendum the issue of subordination to it in this direction;
• France , namely, the majority of its population considers the EU to be the culprit for many of its problems, which allows us to talk about Euroscepticism in the ranks of the French and their desire to leave the union.

Why is Switzerland not part of the European Union?

In 1992, Switzerland, like other countries, submitted its application to join the then emerging new global political union. However, a little later a referendum was held on the issue of accession, the result of which was the division of citizens’ opinions almost equally.

However, Swiss citizens those who expressed their negative opinion turned out to be slightly more. In 2016, Switzerland formalized its refusal to join and withdrawal of its application.

The organization of the European Union is such that:

1. Any country can block the adoption of certain decisions;
2. All members pay contributions to the EU, and the situation is that small powers, such as Poland, get much more from coexistence than large developed economies;
3. States such as Greece, which can be considered “under-integrated,” exist only at the expense of the European Union;
4. In addition, there are a number of countries that are not included in the composition, but conduct payments in Euros or vice versa, which are part of the Single European Space, but are not part of the EU.

All this makes the EU a huge structure with many problems and unresolved issues.

Switzerland, geographically located in the center of Europe, is not interested in the union because:

• Has its own stable, developed economy;
• Own stable currency.

The only direction in which they are ready to cooperate is politics. However, this is not enough to join a structure that is so unstable today.

How to obtain EU citizenship?

EU citizenship gives you the right to freely move throughout its territory, as well as live in any of the countries that are part of it and conduct commercial activities. In order to receive such opportunities, you must become a citizen of any of the participating countries. There are 28 in total as of 2018.

Accordingly, in order to acquire EU citizenship, it is necessary to fulfill the conditions for obtaining it in the relevant country. Most often this is:

1. Official residence in the territory of the state for a certain amount of time. Each state has its own deadlines. Therefore, if in Belgium three years are enough for this, then in France the period is calculated in a decade;
2. Find ethnic roots in your family. That is, if your grandparents or grandparents were citizens of the chosen state, then you can safely submit documents;
3. Marriage with a citizen of an EU state gives the right to obtain her citizenship after some time of residence on its territory. These terms also vary;
4. The birth of children on the territory of an EU state automatically entitles the newborn to be a citizen of the country of birth.

Thus, when studying the issue of obtaining EU citizenship, it is necessary to be guided by the legislation of a particular country.

• First you need to go there, live there for a while;
• Then obtain a residence visa;
• If the relevant circumstances described above arise, you can apply for an EU passport.

What can you import into Russia from the European Union?

The rules for importing certain products into Russia are regulated by the Customs Code and other bills. As for the European Union, in connection with recent events and sanctions imposed on Russia, they are taking the following restrictions:

1. Products of plant and animal origin are allowed weighing no more than five kilograms. In order to introduce a larger quantity, you need to obtain a special permit from Rosselkhoznadzor;
2. Seeds and products for planting use are allowed to be imported only with a special permit;
3. Products are allowed for import only in original packaging;
4. Alcohol must be imported no more than three liters free of charge, from three to five liters, having previously paid a duty;
5. The cost of all baggage should not exceed 1,500 euros for one trip by land and 10,000 euros for air transport.

As for product names, there is no need to worry. The Russian Federation's response measures do not apply to individuals. That is a traveler can purchase any product from the list of sanctions for personal use or consumption, or as a gift. The main thing is that its quantity does not exceed the norms described above.

In addition, when traveling to a certain country, you should study its customs relations with the Russian Federation, since individual rules may apply between us. All necessary information is contained on the Rosselkhoznadzor website.

Thus, the political and economic merger of European countries that was formed in the early nineties is called the European Union. It is obvious that this association is a huge structure that has an influence on the global economic and political situation. However, not all countries located in the single European space are seeking membership in this organization, and some even declare their readiness to leave it.

Video: how and why did the European Union come into being?

In this video, historian Maxim Sholokhov will tell you why there was a need to unite these countries into a coalition, and why their economy could do without the European Union:

This state association includes: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia , Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Estonia.

At the very beginning of intra-European unification, back in the 90s of the last century, the first members of the European Union were six states: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France. Then the remaining 22 joined them.

The main factors or rules for joining the organization are compliance with the criteria established in 1993 in Copenhagen and approved at a meeting of the Union members in Madrid two years later. States must observe the basic principles of democracy, respect freedom and rights, as well as the foundations of a law-based state. A potential member of the organization must have a competitive market economy and recognize the common rules and standards already adopted in the European Union.

The European Union also has its own motto - “Harmony in Diversity”, as well as an anthem “Ode to Joy”.

European countries that are not members of the European Union

European countries that are not members of the organization include the following:
- Great Britain, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland in Western Europe;
- Belarus, Russia, Moldova and Ukraine in Eastern Europe;
- Northern European Iceland, Norway;
- Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vatican City, Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro in Southern Europe;
- Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Türkiye, partially located in Europe;
- as well as the unrecognized states of the Republic of Kosovo and Transnistria.

Currently, Turkey, Iceland, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro are potential candidates for membership in the European Union.

The Western Balkan countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo - are already included in this expansion program. However, the latter state is not yet recognized by the European Union as independent due to the fact that the separation of Kosovo from Serbia is not yet recognized by all members of the organization.

Several so-called “dwarf” states - Andorra, Vatican City, Monaco and San Marino, although they use the euro, still maintain relations with the European Union only through partial cooperation agreements.

The European Union is an association of states that interact with each other on a democratic basis and carry out joint activities in various fields.

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EU member states have common governing bodies that ensure decision-making at a single level. Let's look at the list of members of the European Union in 2020.

History of the EU

As a result of two world wars, the heads of European countries came to a general agreement that in order to ensure development and stability on the European continent it is necessary to unite their efforts.

The negotiations began with the proposal of the French Minister Schumann in 1950 to combine the coal and foundry industries of the French state and Germany.

In 1951, an agreement was signed on the unification of the coal and steel industries, the participants of which were Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Having achieved success, these states continued their cooperation in the future. Further, in 1957, the EEC and the European Atomic Energy Community were approved by the Rome Agreement.

These associations set as their main goal the formation of a community in the customs field and the annulment of all trade bans within the association, peaceful cooperation in the nuclear field.

In 1967, the executive authorities of 3 associations merged, which resulted in the formation of the main structure, where the main bodies were the European Commission, the Council, the Parliament and the Court.

The next step in the history of the EU can be considered the formation of the Maastricht Agreement in 1992, the basis of which was the identification of three basic levels of the EU - the European Community and interstate interaction in the political and security spheres, the legal framework.

In addition, the agreement regulated the creation of a common currency unit and close political interaction.

A few years later, an Intergovernmental Meeting was held in Turin in 1996, resulting in the signing of the Amsterdam Agreement in the summer of 1997.

With the advent of the new millennium, the main goals of the EU are to improve areas of interaction and increase the number of new participants, with the countries of central and eastern Europe considered a priority.

States that are part of the European Union table

In 1992, the EU states officially united, and the list of participating countries gradually increased.

As of today, their number is 28. Let us list the countries that are members of the European Union at the beginning of 2020.

A country	Year of entry
Austria	1995
Bulgaria	2007
Belgium	1957
British Kingdom	1973
Germany	1957
Hungary	2004
Greece	1981
Italy	1957
Italy	1957
Spanish Kingdom	1986
Denmark	1973
Ireland	1973
Lithuania	2004
Latvia	2004
Republic of Cyprus	2004
Malta	2004
Kingdom of the Netherlands	1957
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg	1957
Slovenia	2004
Slovakia	2004
Poland	2004
Finland	1995
French Republic	1957
Portugal	1986
Romania	2007
Croatia	2013
Sweden	1995
Czech	2004
Estonia	2004

During the entire existence of the European Union, not a single state has left its composition. The only exception is Greenland, which left the EU due to a reduction in fishing quotas in 1985.

Also in the summer of 2016, a vote was held in the UK, where the majority of citizens supported leaving the EU. Consequently, there are still certain disagreements within the union.

What do you need to join?

The relevant standards have been approved that must be met in order to be part of the EU. The conditions for accession are mentioned in Article 49 of the EU agreement.

The criteria for potential EU members were established in 1993 in Copenhagen, and then they were confirmed in 1995 in Madrid at a meeting of the EU Council.

The main conditions of membership are:

Political stability, social justice, democratic principles of development, legal protection of the population and national minorities	The opportunity for every citizen to take part in the process of determining the directions of work of government bodies, the unhindered formation of political parties. Members of national minorities should not be discriminated against and may have the right to communicate in their native language and adhere to their culture and national values
Economic stability, successful functioning within the competitive market field	The economies of states planning to join the EU must withstand competition in the world market so that national producers can sell their products without significant losses
Compliance with Standards (Acquis)	Interaction within the boundaries of common politics, economics, unity of the monetary system, and legislative framework

If a state does not pass the test for compliance with the specified criteria, EU authorities draw up a list of requirements that help bring all indicators back to normal.

In the process of carrying out reforms in potential candidate states, the EU exercises its control.

When all the necessary criteria reach the established level, the EU holds a meeting to decide on the possibility of including the country into the European Union.

Features of economic activity

In the European Union, economic and monetary policies are intertwined and can only function together.

The main goal of economic policy is to create favorable conditions for business activities and relationships with EU citizens.

An important component of this is a unified financial system and monetary policy.

Along with this, a single currency unit is not able to function when the level of inflation and interest rates in states differ to a large extent.

For this purpose, the leadership of the European Union is developing a joint economic direction for development and regulation of important economic indicators at the level of the European Union.

Important features of economic activity are regulation of price levels, inflation, financial and credit operations, tourism, implementation of mining, etc.

In the event that one of the EU member states does not adhere to the course of economic development, the EU Council has the right to approve measures in relation to this country and monitor the process of their implementation.

The EU economy includes the economies of all member countries. At the same time, in the international space it is represented by a separate mechanism.

The EU regulates all disagreements between its members and protects their interests in the global space. All members of the European Union contribute to the overall income of the community through their gross domestic product and overall economic performance.

The largest share of profits comes from Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the UK. A special EU body keeps records of revenues from each state individually.

Taking into account all components of economic activity, it is possible to determine the volume of natural resources in a particular country.

Possible candidates for membership

Most countries on the European continent are striving to join the European Union. Currently, the official applicants are Serbia, Türkiye, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

Bosnia and Herzegovina are also possible contenders. Many states are not included in the circle of likely candidates for membership because they do not meet the stated criteria.

Video: comparing countries

Several countries have signed an association agreement with the EU, not only European states and countries on other continents.

In 2014, Ukraine and Moldova expressed their intention to join the European Union. Analyzing the process of joining the EU, one can notice that the European Union aims to take into account countries of other continents, considering their possible participation in the union.

The European Union is an association of 28 European states. They created a common economic and political space. The motto of the European Union is “Concord in diversity”, which implies common work for the common European good and prosperity. At the same time, a wide variety of cultural traditions and languages ​​have a positive effect on this process.

History of creation

The idea of ​​​​creating the “United States of Europe” in the post-war period was voiced by Winston Churchill. The first German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, Luxembourg politician Joseph Bech, Italian Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi and other famous European politicians are also considered the founding fathers of the European Union.

The year of creation of the prototype of the European Union is considered to be 1951, when, according to the plan of Schuman (French Foreign Minister), the “European Coal and Steel Community” was created. The agreement was signed by Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The positive experience of joint regulation of the two industries led to the creation of the European Economic Union in 1957. The name "European Union" (abbreviated as European Union or EU) appeared after the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992 by 12 countries. Gradually, other states of Western and later Eastern Europe joined it.

What is the Eurozone? Who is included in it?

In 1999, the EU moved to the fourth stage of economic integration. After the free trade zone, the common market, and the customs union, a monetary union began to operate. It included 19 EU countries, which formed a zone with a single euro currency.

Non-EU members Vatican City, Andorra, Monaco, and San Marino officially joined the Eurozone under the agreement. Without a treaty, Kosovo and Montenegro use the euro. At the same time, Great Britain and Denmark have so far abandoned the euro, and 7 EU countries (Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden) have promised to introduce a common currency in the future.

List of EU member countries for 2018

Today the EU includes the following countries:

• Austria
• Bulgaria
• Belgium
• British Kingdom
• Germany
• Hungary
• Greece
• Italy
• Spanish Kingdom
• Denmark
• Ireland
• Lithuania
• Latvia
• Republic of Cyprus
• Malta
• Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
• Slovenia
• Slovakia
• Poland
• Finland
• French Republic
• Portugal
• Romania
• Croatia
• Sweden
• Czech
• Estonia

Seventeen EU countries received EC aid to support farmers due to drought

Seventeen of the 28 EU states have taken advantage of the European Commission's help by requesting that farmers receive a series of advance payments from the EU budget to support them due to this summer's severe drought, European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan said at a press conference after the EU Agriculture Ministerial Council.

“Seventeen EU countries have taken advantage of this opportunity,” he said, clarifying that we are talking about direct payments received in advance and funds for rural development.

The media named three EU countries in which Ukrainians most often sought asylum

According to the Statistical Institute of the European Union, in the first eight months of 2018, the authorities of Italy, Spain and Germany received the most new applications for asylum from Ukrainian citizens.

According to UNN, in Italy only in the first six months of this year, 1,515 new applications from Ukrainians were registered.

At the same time, Spain and Germany received 1,205 and 715 new applications from January to August 2018, respectively.

Ukrainians also submitted 180 applications to Poland in eight months.