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Welcome to the European Union Portal!

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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 448 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison) combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.

Containing 5.8% of the world population in 2020, EU member states generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$16.6 trillion in 2022, constituting approximately one sixth of global nominal GDP. Additionally, all EU states except Bulgaria have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. Its cornerstone, the Customs Union, paved the way to establishing an internal single market based on standardised legal framework and legislation that applies in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market; enact legislation in justice and home affairs; and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Passport controls have been abolished for travel within the Schengen Area. The eurozone is a group composed of the 20 EU member states that have fully implemented the economic and monetary union and use the euro currency. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the union has developed a role in external relations and defence. It maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20. Due to its global influence, the European Union has been described by some scholars as an emerging superpower.

In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The United Kingdom became the only member state to leave the EU, in 2020; ten countries are aspiring or negotiating to join it. (Full article...)

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The 1985 Schengen Agreement is an agreement among European states which allows for the abolition of systematic border controls between the participating countries. It also includes provisions on common policy on the temporary entry of persons, the harmonisation of external border controls and cross-border police co-operation. A total of 30 countries – including all European Union states and three non-EU members Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland – have signed the agreement and 26 have implemented it so far. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom only take part in the police co-operation measures and not the common border control and visa provisions. Border posts and checks have been removed between Schengen countries and a common 'Schengen visa' allows tourist or visitor access to the area.

The agreement was originally signed on 14 June 1985, by five European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). It was signed aboard the ship Princesse Marie-Astrid on the Moselle River, near Schengen, a small town in Luxembourg on the border with France and Germany.

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Iberian Peninsula

Map credit: Robert Wilkinson

An 18th century map of the Iberian Peninsula illustrating various topographic features of the land. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra.

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Did you know?

...that the President of Ireland, who serves as head of state, is elected for a seven year term and can be re-elected only once?

...that within the Eurozone the European Central Bank has the exclusive authority to set monetary policy?

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Vienna is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primate city; with a population of about 1.6 million (2.2 million within the metro area), Vienna is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic and political centre. Vienna lies in the south-eastern corner of Central Europe and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north. Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, in the areas of theatre, opera, classical music and fine arts. Apart from the Burgtheater which, together with its branch, the Akademietheater, is considered one of the best theatres in the German-speaking world.

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General images

The following are images from various European Union-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1After two devastating world wars, the political climate favoured an international unity that could preserve peace in Europe effectively (Hamburg, after a massive Allied bombing in 1943 in the picture). (from History of the European Union)
Image 2A cartogram depicting the population distribution between old EU-27 member states in 2008 (including the UK and excluding Croatia). 57.8% of all citizens of the EU live in the four largest member states: Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 3Organigram of the political system. The seven organs of the Union are in blue, national / intergovernmental elements in orange. (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 4The flag of Europe, emblem of both the Council of Europe and the European Union. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 5Konrad Adenauer, Walter Hallstein and Antonio Segni, signing the European customs union and Euratom in Rome in 1957 (from History of the European Union)
Image 6Signatories of the 2007 declaration in dark blue. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 7Political groups of the European Parliament in the Louise Weiss building after the election 2014:
  Group of the European People's Party (EPP)
  Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
  Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
  European Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA)
  European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)
  European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
  Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD)
  Non-Inscrits (NI)
(from Politics of the European Union)
Image 8Logo of the European Court of Auditors (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 9Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission
(since 1 December 2019) (from History of the European Union)
Image 10The Schuman Parade in Warsaw has been organised by the Schuman Foundation since 1999 (2008 photograph). (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 11Aristide Briand (from History of the European Union)
Image 12Winston Churchill (right, during the Atlantic Conference), consistent advocate of continential European integration, later along with his son-in-law Duncan Sandys (from History of the European Union)
Image 13Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in the European Union in 2019 (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 14The fertility rate in the EU was 1.46 in 2022 (Kindergarten in France). (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 15The Frankish Empire at its greatest extent, ca. 814 AD (from History of the European Union)
Image 16Newest state in yellow (from History of the European Union)
Image 17Flag of the Western Union (from History of the European Union)
Image 18Logo of the European Central Bank (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 19The European Coal and Steel Community's flag. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 20Elaboration by sex (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 21Europa regina in Sebastian Münster's "Cosmographia", 1570 (from History of the European Union)
Image 22The Euro symbol shown as a sculpture outside the European Central Bank (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 23A piece from the original manuscript. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 24José Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission (2004-2014) (from History of the European Union)
Image 25Hearing of Josep Borrell, High Representative Vice President (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 26Meeting in the Hall of Knights in The Hague, during the Congress of Europe (9 May 1948) (from History of the European Union)
Image 27Logo of the European Council and the Council of the European Union (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 28Logo of the Court of Justice of the European Union (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 29Logo of the European Parliament (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 30Boris Johnson Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022 (from History of the European Union)
Image 31The ordinary legislative procedure of the European Union (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 321922 European flag of the Paneuropean Union (from History of the European Union)
Image 33Coins and banknotes of the Euro, the single-currency introduced from 1999 (from History of the European Union)
Image 34Logo of the European Commission (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 35Population pyramid of the EU 27 in 2023 (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 36The population density of the EU is 106 people per km². N.B. the light in the North Sea, as well as much of Norway, is from Routine flaring not human habitation. (from Demographics of the European Union)