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The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are party to the EU's founding treaties, and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. They have agreed by the treaties to share their own sovereignty through the institutions of the European Union in certain aspects of government.
This document details the terms and conditions of the country's EU membership. The accession treaty must then be approved by the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament before being signed and ratified by all EU Member States and the candidate country.
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. [ 9 ][ 10 ] The Union has a total area of 4,233,255 km 2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated total population of over 449 million.
The EU and its Member States. Founded: in 1951 after the Second World War by six countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). Current Member States: 27 countries. Applicants for future membership: 9 candidate countries and 1 potential candidate.
Today the EU consists of 27 member countries. It is not only an economic union but the single market with no borders for trade and the single euro currency used by 20 member states of the Eurozone. Furthermore, it is the political union with own parliament and other institutions.
The Treaty on the European Union states that any European country may apply for membership if it respects the democratic values of the EU and is committed to promoting them. The first step is for the country to meet the key criteria for accession.
With a possible expansion of the EU, here are answers to some common questions about the bloc, how countries can join it, how long each step typically takes and more.
Find out more about EU countries, their government and economy, their role in the EU, use of the euro, membership of the Schengen area or location on the map.
Largest enlargement so far. Ten new countries join the EU: Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. This was the largest single enlargement in terms of people, and number of countries. Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU.
In order to apply for EU membership, a country has to be European and respect the EU’s democratic values. It also needs stable institutions guaranteeing democracy and the rule of law; a functioning market economy; and the ability to take on and carry out the obligations of EU membership.