Member state of the European Union | |
---|---|
Category | Member state |
Location | European Union |
Created |
|
Number | 27 (as of 2024) |
Possible types |
|
Populations | Smallest: Malta, 542,051 Largest: Germany, 84,358,845 [1] |
Areas | Smallest: Malta, 316 km2 (122 sq mi) Largest: France, 638,475 km2 (246,517 sq mi) [2] |
Government |
|
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. State governments must agree unanimously in the Council for the union to adopt some policies; for others, collective decisions are made by qualified majority voting. These obligations and sharing of sovereignty within the EU (sometimes referred to as supranational) make it unique among international organisations, as it has established its own legal order which by the provisions of the founding treaties is both legally binding and supreme on all the member states (after a landmark ruling of the ECJ in 1964). A founding principle of the union is subsidiarity, meaning that decisions are taken collectively if and only if they cannot realistically be taken individually.
Each member country appoints to the European Commission a European commissioner. The commissioners do not represent their member state, but instead work collectively in the interests of all the member states within the EU.
In the 1950s, six core states founded the EU's predecessor European Communities (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany). The remaining states have acceded in subsequent enlargements. To accede, a state must fulfil the economic and political requirements known as the Copenhagen criteria, which require a candidate to have a democratic government and free-market economy together with the corresponding freedoms and institutions, and respect for the rule of law. Enlargement of the Union is also contingent upon the consent of all existing members and the candidate's adoption of the existing body of EU law, known as the acquis communautaire .
The United Kingdom, which had acceded to the EU's predecessor in 1973, ceased to be an EU member state on 31 January 2020, in a political process known as Brexit. No other member state has withdrawn from the EU and none has been suspended, although some dependent territories or semi-autonomous areas have left.
Country | ISO | Accession | Population [3] | Area (km2) | Largest city | GDP (US$ M) | GDP (PPP) per cap. [4] [5] | Currency | Gini [6] | HDI [7] | MEPs | Official languages |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | AT | 1 January 1995 | 8,926,000 | 83,855 | Vienna | 535,804 | 73,050 | euro | 29.1 | 0.926 | 20 | German |
Belgium | BE | Founder | 11,566,041 | 30,528 | Brussels | 662,183 | 73,221 | euro | 33.0 | 0.942 | 22 | Dutch French German |
Bulgaria | BG | 1 January 2007 | 6,916,548 | 110,994 | Sofia | 66,250 | 39,185 | lev | 29.2 | 0.799 | 17 | Bulgarian |
Croatia | HR | 1 July 2013 | 4,036,355 | 56,594 | Zagreb | 89,665 | 48,811 | euro | 29 | 0.878 | 12 | Croatian |
Cyprus [a] | CY | 1 May 2004 | 896,000 | 9,251 | Nicosia | 23,380 | 59,858 | euro | 31.2 | 0.907 | 6 | Greek Turkish [b] |
Czechia | CZ | 1 May 2004 | 10,574,153 | 78,866 | Prague | 246,953 | 56,686 | koruna | 25.8 | 0.895 | 21 | Czech [c] |
Denmark [d] | DK | 1 January 1973 | 5,833,883 | 43,075 | Copenhagen | 347,176 | 83,454 | krone | 24.7 | 0.952 | 15 | Danish |
Estonia | EE | 1 May 2004 | 1,330,068 | 45,227 | Tallinn | 43,044 | 48,008 | euro | 36.0 | 0.899 | 7 | Estonian |
Finland [e] | FI | 1 January 1995 | 5,527,493 | 338,424 | Helsinki | 306,083 | 64,657 | euro | 26.9 | 0.942 | 15 | Finnish Swedish |
France [f] | FR | Founder | 67,439,614 | 632,786 [8] [f] | Paris | 2,707,074 | 65,940 | euro | 32.7 | 0.910 | 81 | French |
Germany | DE | Founder [g] | 83,120,520 | 357,386 | Berlin | 4,710,032 | 70,930 | euro | 31.9 | 0.950 | 96 | German |
Greece | GR | 1 January 1981 | 10,682,547 | 131,990 | Athens | 214,012 | 42,066 | euro | 34.3 | 0.893 | 21 | Greek |
Hungary | HU | 1 May 2004 | 9,730,772 | 93,030 | Budapest | 170,407 | 46,807 | forint | 30.0 | 0.851 | 21 | Hungarian |
Ireland | IE | 1 January 1973 | 5,006,324 | 70,273 | Dublin | 384,940 | 127,750 | euro | 34.3 | 0.950 | 14 | English Irish |
Italy | IT | Founder | 58,968,501 | 301,338 | Rome | 1,988,636 | 60,993 | euro | 36.0 | 0.906 | 76 | Italian |
Latvia | LV | 1 May 2004 | 1,862,700 | 64,589 | Riga | 35,045 | 43,527 | euro | 35.7 | 0.879 | 9 | Latvian |
Lithuania | LT | 1 May 2004 | 2,795,680 | 65,200 | Vilnius | 53,641 | 53,624 | euro | 35.8 | 0.879 | 11 | Lithuanian |
Luxembourg | LU | Founder | 633,347 | 2,586.4 | Luxembourg | 69,453 | 151,146 | euro | 30.8 | 0.927 | 6 | Luxembourgish [h] French German |
Malta | MT | 1 May 2004 | 516,100 | 316 | Valletta | 14,859 | 72,942 | euro | 25.8 | 0.915 | 6 | Maltese English |
Netherlands [i] | NL | Founder | 17,614,840 | 41,543 | Amsterdam | 902,355 | 81,495 | euro | 30.9 | 0.946 | 31 | Dutch |
Poland | PL | 1 May 2004 | 37,840,001 | 312,685 | Warsaw | 565,854 | 51,629 | złoty | 34.9 | 0.881 | 56 | Polish |
Portugal [j] | PT | 1 January 1986 | 10,298,252 [9] | 92,212 [10] | Lisbonne | 236,408 | 49,237 | euro | 32.1 [11] | 0.874 | 21 | Portuguese [k] |
Romania | RO | 1 January 2007 | 19,186,201 | 238,391 | Bucarest | 243,698 | 47,204 | leu | 31.5 | 0.827 | 33 | Romanian |
Slovakia | SK | 1 May 2004 | 5,422,194 | 49,035 | Bratislava | 106,552 | 45,632 | euro | 25.8 | 0.855 | 15 | Slovak |
Slovenia | SI | 1 May 2004 | 2,108,977 | 20,273 | Ljubljana | 54,154 | 55,684 | euro | 31.2 | 0.926 | 9 | Slovene |
Spain [l] | ES | 1 January 1986 | 48,946,035 | 504,030 | Madrid | 1,647,114 | 55,089 | euro | 32.0 | 0.911 | 61 | Spanish [m] |
Sweden | SE | 1 January 1995 | 10,370,000 | 449,964 | Stockholm | 528,929 | 71,731 | krona | 25.0 | 0.952 | 21 | Swedish |
Country | ISO | Accession | Withdrawal | Population [3] | Area (km2) | Largest city | GDP (US$ M) | GDP (PPP) per cap. [4] [5] | Currency | Gini [6] | HDI [7] | Official languages |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | GB | 1 January 1973 | 31 January 2020 | 67,791,400 | 242,495 | London | 3,158,938 | 62,574 | sterling | 36.6 | 0.940 | English |
There are a number of overseas member state territories which are legally part of the EU, but have certain exemptions based on their remoteness; see Overseas Countries and Territories Association. These "outermost regions" have partial application of EU law and in some cases are outside of Schengen or the EU VAT area—however they are legally within the EU. [13] They all use the euro as their currency.
Territory | Member State | Location | Area km2 | Population | Per capita GDP (EU=100) | EU VAT area | Schengen Area |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Azores | Portugal | Atlantic Ocean | 2,333 | 236,440 | 66.7 | Yes | Yes |
Canary Islands | Spain | Atlantic Ocean | 7,447 | 2,202,048 | 93.7 | No | Yes |
French Guiana | France | South America | 84,000 | 295,385 | 50.5 | No | No |
Guadeloupe | France | Caribbean | 1,710 | 378,561 | 50.5 | No | No |
Madeira | Portugal | Atlantic Ocean | 795 | 250,769 | 94.9 | Yes | Yes |
Saint-Martin | France | Caribbean | 52 | 31,477 | 61.9 | No | No |
Martinique | France | Caribbean | 1,080 | 349,925 | 75.6 | No | No |
Mayotte [14] | France | Indian Ocean | 374 | 320,901 | No | No | |
Réunion | France | Indian Ocean | 2,512 | 885,700 | 61.6 | No | No |
Abbreviations have been used as a shorthand way of grouping countries by their date of accession.
Additionally, other abbreviations have been used to refer to countries which had limited access to the EU labour market. [19]
According to the Copenhagen criteria, membership of the European Union is open to any European country that is a stable, free-market liberal democracy that respects the rule of law and human rights. Furthermore, it has to be willing to accept all the obligations of membership, such as adopting all previously agreed law (the 170,000 pages of acquis communautaire) and switching to the euro. [20] For a state to join the European Union, the prior approval of all current member states is required. In addition to enlargement by adding new countries, the EU can also expand by having territories of member states, which are outside the EU, integrate more closely (for example in respect to the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles) or by a territory of a member state which had previously seceded and then rejoined (see withdrawal below).
There is no provision to expel a member state, but TEU Article 7 provides for the suspension of certain rights. Introduced in the Treaty of Amsterdam, Article 7 outlines that if a member persistently breaches the EU's founding principles (liberty, democracy, human rights and so forth, outlined in TEU Article 2) then the European Council can vote to suspend any rights of membership, such as voting and representation. Identifying the breach requires unanimity (excluding the state concerned), but sanctions require only a qualified majority. [21]
The state in question would still be bound by the obligations treaties and the Council acting by majority may alter or lift such sanctions. The Treaty of Nice included a preventive mechanism whereby the council, acting by majority, may identify a potential breach and make recommendations to the state to rectify it before action is taken against it as outlined above. [21] However, the treaties do not provide any mechanism to expel a member state outright. [22]
Prior to the Lisbon Treaty, there was no provision or procedure within any of the Treaties of the European Union for a member state to withdraw from the European Union or its predecessor organisations. The Lisbon Treaty changed this and included the first provision and procedure of a member state to leave the bloc. The procedure for a state to leave is outlined in TEU Article 50 which also makes clear that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements". Although it calls for a negotiated withdrawal between the seceding state and the rest of the EU, if no agreement is reached two years after the seceding state notifying of its intention to leave, it would cease to be subject to the treaties anyway (thus ensuring a right to unilateral withdrawal). [22] There is no formal limit to how much time a member state can take between adopting a policy of withdrawal, and actually triggering Article 50.[ citation needed ]
In a referendum in June 2016, the United Kingdom voted to withdraw from the EU. The UK government triggered Article 50 on 29 March 2017. [23] After an extended period of negotiation and internal political debate the UK eventually withdrew from the EU on 31 January 2020. [24] [25]
Prior to 2016, no member state had voted to withdraw. However, French Algeria, Greenland and Saint-Barthélemy did cease being part of the EU (or its predecessor) in 1962, 1985, and 2012, respectively, due to status changes. The situation of Greenland being outside the EU while still subject to an EU member state had been discussed as a template for the pro-EU regions of the UK remaining within the EU or its single market. [26]
Beyond the formal withdrawal of a member state, there are a number of independence movements such as Catalonia or Flanders which could result in a similar situation to Greenland. Were a territory of a member state to secede but wish to remain in the EU, some scholars claim it would need to reapply to join as if it were a new country applying from scratch. [27] However, other studies claim internal enlargement is legally viable if, in case of a member state dissolution or secession, the resulting states are all considered successor states. [28] There is also a European Citizens' Initiative that aims at guaranteeing the continuity of rights and obligations of the European citizens belonging to a new state arising from the democratic secession of a European Union member state. [29]
Each state has representation in the institutions of the European Union. Full membership gives the government of a member state a seat in the Council of the European Union and European Council. When decisions are not being taken by consensus, qualified majority voting (which requires majorities both of the number of states and of the population they represent, but a sufficient blocking minority can veto the proposal). The Presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates among each of the member states, allowing each state six months to help direct the agenda of the EU. [30] [31]
Similarly, each state is assigned seats in Parliament according to their population (smaller countries receiving more seats per inhabitant than the larger ones). The members of the European Parliament have been elected by universal suffrage since 1979 (before that, they were seconded from national parliaments). [32] [33]
The national governments appoint one member each to the European Commission, the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Auditors. Prospective Commissioners must be confirmed both by the President of the Commission and by the European Parliament; prospective justices must be confirmed by the existing members. Historically, larger member states were granted an extra Commissioner. However, as the body grew, this right has been removed and each state is represented equally. The six largest states are also granted an Advocates General in the Court of Justice. Finally, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank includes the governors of the national central banks (who may or may not be government appointed) of each euro area country. [34]
The larger states traditionally carry more weight in negotiations, however smaller states can be effective impartial mediators and citizens of smaller states are often appointed to sensitive top posts to avoid competition between the larger states. This, together with the disproportionate representation of the smaller states in terms of votes and seats in parliament, gives the smaller EU states a greater power of influence than is normally attributed to a state of their size. However most negotiations are still dominated by the larger states. This has traditionally been largely through the "Franco-German motor" but Franco-German influence has diminished slightly following the influx of new members in 2004 (see G6). [35]
- In accordance with Article 5, competences not conferred upon the Union in the Treaties remain with the member states.
- The Union shall respect the equality of member states before the Treaties as well as their national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government. It shall respect their essential State functions, including ensuring the territorial integrity of the State, maintaining law and order and safeguarding national security. In particular, national security remains the sole responsibility of each member state.
- Pursuant to the principle of sincere cooperation, the Union and the member states shall, in full mutual respect, assist each other in carrying out tasks which flow from the Treaties. The member states shall take any appropriate measure, general or particular, to ensure fulfilment of the obligations arising out of the Treaties or resulting from the acts of the institutions of the Union. The member states shall facilitate the achievement of the Union's tasks and refrain from any measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the Union's objectives.
While the member states are sovereign, the union partially follows a supranational system for those functions agreed by treaty to be shared. ("Competences not conferred upon the Union in the Treaties remain with the member states"). Previously limited to European Community matters, the practice, known as the 'community method', is currently used in many areas of policy. Combined sovereignty is delegated by each member to the institutions in return for representation within those institutions. This practice is often referred to as 'pooling of sovereignty'. Those institutions are then empowered to make laws and execute them at a European level.
If a state fails to comply with the law of the European Union, it may be fined or have funds withdrawn.
In contrast to some international organisations, the EU's style of integration as a union of states does not "emphasise sovereignty or the separation of domestic and foreign affairs [and it] has become a highly developed system for mutual interference in each other's domestic affairs, right down to beer and sausages.". [36] However, on defence and foreign policy issues (and, pre-Lisbon Treaty, police and judicial matters) less sovereignty is transferred, with issues being dealt with by unanimity and co-operation. Very early on in the history of the EU, the unique state of its establishment and pooling of sovereignty was emphasised by the Court of Justice: [37]
By creating a Community of unlimited duration, having its own institutions, its own personality, its own legal capacity and capacity of representation on the international plane and, more particularly, real powers stemming from a limitation of sovereignty or a transfer of powers from the States to Community, the Member States have limited their sovereign rights and have thus created a body of law which binds both their nationals and themselves...The transfer by the States from their domestic legal system to the Community legal system of the rights and obligations arising under the Treaty carries with it a permanent limitation of their sovereign rights.
The question of whether Union law is superior to State law is subject to some debate. The treaties do not give a judgement on the matter but court judgements have established EU's law superiority over national law and it is affirmed in a declaration attached to the Treaty of Lisbon (the proposed European Constitution would have fully enshrined this). The legal systems of some states also explicitly accept the Court of Justice's interpretation, such as France and Italy, however in Poland it does not override the state's constitution, which it does in Germany. [39] [40] The exact areas where the member states have given legislative competence to the Union are as follows. Every area not mentioned remains with member states. [41]
In EU terminology, the term 'competence' means 'authority or responsibility to act'. The table below shows which aspects of governance are exclusively for collective action (through the commission) and which are shared to a greater or lesser extent. If an aspect is not listed in the table below, then it remains the exclusive competence of the member state. Perhaps the best known example is taxation, which remains a matter of state sovereignty.
|
|
| |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
As a result of the European sovereign debt crisis, some eurozone states were given a bailout from their fellow members via the European Financial Stability Facility and European Financial Stability Mechanism (replaced by the European Stability Mechanism from 2013), but this came with conditions. As a result of the Greek government-debt crisis, Greece accepted a large austerity plan including privatisations and a sell off of state assets in exchange for their bailout. To ensure that Greece complied with the conditions set by the European troika (ECB, IMF, Commission), a 'large-scale technical assistance' from the European Commission and other member states was deployed to Greek government ministries. Some, including the President of the Euro Group Jean-Claude Juncker, stated that "the sovereignty of Greece will be massively limited." [43] [44] [45] The situation of the bailed out countries (Greece, Portugal and Ireland) has been described as being a ward [46] [47] or protectorate [45] [48] [49] of the EU with some such as the Netherlands calling for a formalisation of the situation. [50]
EU integration is not always symmetrical, with some states proceeding with integration ahead of hold-outs. There are several different forms of closer integration both within and outside the EU's normal framework. One mechanism is enhanced cooperation where nine or more states can use EU structures to progress in a field that not all states are willing to partake in. [51] Some states have gained an opt-out in the founding treaties from participating in certain policy areas. [52] [53]
The admission of a new state the Union is limited to liberal democracies and Freedom House ranks all EU states as being totally free electoral democracies. [54] All but 4 are ranked at the top 1.0 rating. [55] However, the exact political system of a state is not limited, with each state having its own system based on its historical evolution.
More than half of member states—16 out of 27—are parliamentary republics, while six states are constitutional monarchies, meaning they have a monarch although political powers are exercised by elected politicians. Most republics and all the monarchies operate a parliamentary system whereby the head of state (president or monarch) has a largely ceremonial role with reserve powers. That means most power is in the hands of what is called in most of those countries the prime minister, who is accountable to the national parliament. Of the remaining republics, four[ clarification needed ] operate a semi-presidential system, where competences are shared between the president and prime minister, while one republic operates a presidential system, where the president is head of both state and government.
Parliamentary structure in member states varies: there are 15 unicameral national parliaments and 12 bicameral parliaments. The prime minister and government are usually directly accountable to the directly elected lower house and require its support to stay in office—the exception being Cyprus with its presidential system. Upper houses are composed differently in different member states: it can be directly elected like the Polish senate; indirectly elected, for example, by regional legislatures like the Federal Council of Austria; or unelected, but representing certain interest groups like the National Council of Slovenia. All elections in member states use some form of proportional representation. The most common type of proportional representation is the party-list system.[ citation needed ]
There are also differences in the level of self-governance for the sub-regions of a member state. Most states, especially the smaller ones, are unitary states; meaning all major political power is concentrated at the national level. 9 states allocate power to more local levels of government. Austria, Belgium and Germany are full federations, meaning their regions have constitutional autonomies. Denmark, Finland, France and the Netherlands are federacies, meaning some regions have autonomy but most do not. Spain and Italy have systems of devolution where regions have autonomy, but the national government retains the legal right to revoke it. [56]
States such as France have a number of overseas territories, retained from their former empires.
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The Union has a total area of 4,233,255 km2 (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated total population of over 449 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957, aiming to foster economic integration among its member states. It was subsequently renamed the European Community (EC) upon becoming integrated into the first pillar of the newly formed European Union (EU) in 1993. In the popular language, the singular European Community was sometimes inaccurately used in the wider sense of the plural European Communities, in spite of the latter designation covering all the three constituent entities of the first pillar. The EEC was also known as the European Common Market (ECM) in the English-speaking countries, and sometimes referred to as the European Community even before it was officially renamed as such in 1993. In 2009, the EC formally ceased to exist and its institutions were directly absorbed by the EU. This made the Union the formal successor institution of the Community.
The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003.
The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the Agreement on the European Economic Area, an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EEA links the EU member states and three of the four EFTA states into an internal market governed by the same basic rules. These rules aim to enable free movement of persons, goods, services, and capital within the European single market, including the freedom to choose residence in any country within this area. The EEA was established on 1 January 1994 upon entry into force of the EEA Agreement. The contracting parties are the EU, its member states, and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. New members of EFTA would not automatically become party to the EEA Agreement, as each EFTA State decides on its own whether it applies to be party to the EEA Agreement or not. According to Article 128 of the EEA Agreement, "any European State becoming a member of the Community shall, and the Swiss Confederation or any European State becoming a member of EFTA may, apply to become a party to this Agreement. It shall address its application to the EEA Council." EFTA does not envisage political integration. It does not issue legislation, nor does it establish a customs union. Schengen is not a part of the EEA Agreement. However, all of the four EFTA States participate in Schengen and Dublin through bilateral agreements. They all apply the provisions of the relevant Acquis.
The euro area, commonly called the eurozone (EZ), is a currency union of 20 member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (€) as their primary currency and sole legal tender, and have thus fully implemented EMU policies.
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union (EU). It would have replaced the existing European Union treaties with a single text, given legal force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and expanded qualified majority voting into policy areas which had previously been decided by unanimity among member states.
The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria, which require a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual harmonisation of national laws.
The special territories of members of the European Economic Area (EEA) are the 32 special territories of EU member states and EFTA member states which, for historical, geographical, or political reasons, enjoy special status within or outside the European Union and the European Free Trade Association.
European integration is the process of industrial, economic, political, legal, social, and cultural integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union and its policies.
The political structure of the European Union (EU) is similar to a confederation, where many policy areas are federalised into common institutions capable of making law; the competences to control foreign policy, defence policy, or the majority of direct taxation policies are mostly reserved for the twenty-seven state governments. These areas are primarily under the control of the EU's member states although a certain amount of structured co-operation and coordination takes place in these areas. For the EU to take substantial actions in these areas, all Member States must give their consent. Union laws that override State laws are more numerous than in historical confederations; however, the EU is legally restricted from making law outside its remit or where it is no more appropriate to do so at a state or local level (subsidiarity) when acting outside its exclusive competences. The principle of subsidiarity does not apply to areas of exclusive competence.
The Treaty of Accession 2005 is an agreement between the member states of European Union and Bulgaria and Romania. It entered into force on 1 January 2007. The Treaty arranged accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and amended earlier Treaties of the European Union. As such it is an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union.
European Union citizenship is afforded to all nationals of member states of the European Union (EU). It was formally created with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, at the same time as the creation of the EU. EU citizenship is additional to, as it does not replace, national citizenship. It affords EU citizens with rights, freedoms and legal protections available under EU law.
Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) provides for the possibility of an EU member state leaving the European Union "in accordance with its own constitutional requirements".
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark is one of the EU members’ overseas countries and territories (OCT) associated to the European Union. Greenland receives funding from the EU for sustainable development and has signed agreements increasing cooperation with the EU.
The European Union Customs Union (EUCU), formally known as the Community Customs Union, is a customs union which consists of all the member states of the European Union (EU), Monaco, and the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Some detached territories of EU states do not participate in the customs union, usually as a result of their geographic separation. In addition to the EUCU, the EU is in customs unions with Andorra, San Marino and Turkey, through separate bilateral agreements.
The primacy of European Union law is a legal principle of rule according to higher law establishing precedence of European Union law over conflicting national laws of EU member states.
The accession of Kosovo to the European Union (EU) is on the current agenda for future enlargement of the EU. Kosovo is currently recognized by the EU as a potential candidate for accession.
There are currently nine states recognized as candidates for membership of the European Union: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Kosovo formally submitted its application for membership in 2022 and is considered a potential candidate by the European Union. Due to multiple factors, talks with Turkey are at an effective standstill since December 2016.
The Treaty of Lisbon is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states on 13 December 2007, entered into force on 1 December 2009. It amends the Maastricht Treaty (1992), known in updated form as the Treaty on European Union (2007) or TEU, as well as the Treaty of Rome (1957), known in updated form as the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (2007) or TFEU. It also amends the attached treaty protocols as well as the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM).
Poland has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004, with the Treaty of Accession 2003 signed on 16 April 2003 in Athens as the legal basis for Poland's accession to the EU. The actual process of integrating Poland into the EU began with Poland's application for membership in Athens on 8 April 1994, and then the confirmation of the application by all member states in Essen from 9–10 December 1994. Poland's integration into the European Union is a dynamic and continuously ongoing process.
The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every 6 months
Member states take it in turns to assume the presidency of the Council of Ministers for six months at a time in accordance with a pre-established rota.
The 1951 treaty which created the European Coal and Steel Community (a precursor to the European Economic Community and later European Union) provided for a representative assembly of members drawn from the participating nations' national parliaments. In June 1979, the nine EEC countries held the first direct elections to the European Parliament.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help)