What the EU is

"The key feature of the European Community, which distinguishes it from most international organizations, is the existence of a sophisticated set of institutions enjoying autonomous powers to advance its interests." (EC Law, Weatherill & Beaumont, 1995)

"…pioneering a form of trans-national governance" (Prof. A. Giddens, 1999 Reith Lecture)

"A group of countries - "the Member States" - which have voluntarily agreed to limit their sovereign rights, and to be bound by law which is neither national nor international, but - uniquely - Community Law" (anon)

What the EU does

The Union’s objectives (from Treaty on European Union, Article 2):

• to promote economic and social progress …
• to assert its identity on the international scene …
• to strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of the nationals of its Member States …
• to maintain and develop the Union as an area of freedom, security and justice …
• to maintain in full the acquis communautaire …

Membership

• 1952 = Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
• 1973 + Denmark, Ireland, UK
• 1981 + Greece
• 1986 + Portugal, Spain
• 1995 + Austria, Finland, Sweden
• 2004 + Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia
• 2007 + Bulgaria, Romania

Further information

• European Commission: Europe in 12 lessons
• European Commission: What do we do?
• European Commission: The history of the European Union
• European Commission: Treaties and law
• European Parliament: Fact Sheets
• Council of the European Union: FAQ