European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km² (1,728,099 sq mi), and an estimated population of over 510 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states. 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. Within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency.
The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), established, respectively, by the 1951 Treaty of Paris and 1957 Treaty of Rome. The original members of what came to be known as the European Communities, were the Inner Six; Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. The Communities and its successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. While no member state has left the EU or its antecedent organisations, the United Kingdom enacted the result of a membership referendum in June 2016 and is negotiating its withdrawal. The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union in 1993 and introduced European citizenship. The latest major amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.
The European Union provides more foreign aid than any other economic union. Covering 7.3% of the world population, the EU in 2016 generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 16.477 trillion US dollars, constituting approximately 22.2% of global nominal GDP and 16.9% when measured in terms of purchasing power parity.[citation needed] Additionally, 27 out of 28 EU countries have a very high Human Development Index, according to the United Nations Development Programme. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU has developed a role in external relations and defence. The union maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7, and the G20. Because of its global influence, the European Union has been described as an emerging superpower.
== Member States ==
Nation 	Capital 	Nation 	Capital 	Map
Austria 	Vienna 	Italy 	Rome 	
Belgium 	Brussels 	Latvia 	Riga 	
Bulgaria 	Sofia 	Lithuania 	Vilnius 	
Croatia 	Zagreb 	Luxembourg 	Luxembourg City	
Cyprus 	Nicosia 	Malta 	Valletta 	
Czech Republic	Prague 	Netherlands 	Amsterdam 	
Denmark 	Copenhagen	Poland 	Warsaw 	
Estonia 	Tallin 	Portugal 	Lisbon 	
Finland 	Helsinki 	Romania 	Bucharest 	
France 	Paris 	Slovakia 	Bratislava 	
Germany 	Berlin 	Slovenia 	Ljubljana 	
Greece 	Athens 	Spain 	Madrid 	
Hungary 	Budapest 	Sweden 	Stockholm 	
Ireland 	Dublin 	United Kingdom	London 	
Category:Organizations
Category:European Union