The European Union (abbreviated as the EU) is an intergovernmental organization, as well as an economic and political union comprised of 27 member states located in the continent of Europe.
The union has established an internal market through the European Union law that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states have agreed to act as one. The EU aims to further and strenghten the cooperation and relation between its member states, having many policies to ensure free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market. The member states also maintain the same policies on agriculture, fisheries, trade and regional development.
The European Union is currently comprised of 27 member states, with even more candidate and potential candidate countries. To become a member a country has to meet the Copenhagen Criteria. As of now, there is only one country (if you exclude other countries' autonomous regions) who's left the EU. The United Kingdom withdrawed on 31 January 2020. The current 27 member states are:
Current members[]
- Belgium
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Greece
- Portugal
- Spain
- Austria
- Finland
- Sweden
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Hungary
- Malta
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Bulgaria
- Romania
- Croatia
Former members[]
- United Kingdom
Potential new members[]
- Albania (negotiating)
- Montenegro (negotiating)
- North Macedonia (negotiating)
- Serbia (negotiating)
- Ukraine (candidate)
- Moldova (candidate)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (applicant)
- Georgia (applicant)
- Kosovo (potential candidate)
- Türkiye (frozen negotiations)