European Union member state

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

The member states of the European Union highlighted in light brown.

A European Union member state is any one of the twenty-seven countries that have joined the European Union (EU) since its inception in 1958 as the European Economic Community (EEC). From an original membership of six states, there have been five successive enlargements. The largest happened on May 1, 2004, when ten member states joined.

Following the addition of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, the EU's membership now stands at twenty-seven. Negotiations are also under way with a number of other states. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. However, this term is also used to refer to the intensification of cooperation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual centralising of power within European institutions. Before being allowed to join the European Union, a state must fulfil the economic and political conditions generally known as the Copenhagen criteria: these basically require that a candidate member state must enjoy a secular, democratic system of government, together with the corresponding freedoms and institutions, and respect the rule of law. Under the terms of the Treaty on European Union, enlargement of the Union is conditional upon the agreement of each existing member state as well as approval by the European Parliament.

Bulgaria and Romania make up the second part of the EU's fifth enlargement, and joined the EU on 1 January 2007. This date was agreed upon at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003, confirmed at Brussels on 18 June 2004, and affirmed by the country reports of October 2004 and the final report delivered on 26 September 2006. Bulgaria and Romania signed their Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005 at a ceremony held at Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg.

[change] List of members

State	Official name	Accession	Population	Capital	MEPs
Austria	Republic of Austria	01995-01-01 01 January 1995	&&&&&&&&08169929.&&&&&08,169,929	Vienna	18
Belgium	Kingdom of Belgium	01957-03-25 25 March 1957	&&&&&&&010274595.&&&&&010,274,595	Brussels	24
Bulgaria	Republic of Bulgaria	02007-01-01 01 January 2007	&&&&&&&&07679290.&&&&&07,679,290	Sofia	18
Cyprus	Republic of Cyprus	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&&&0835000.&&&&&0835,000	Nicosia	6
Czech Republic	Czech Republic	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&010256760.&&&&&010,256,760	Prague	24
Denmark	Kingdom of Denmark	01973-01-01 01 January 1973²	&&&&&&&&05368854.&&&&&05,368,854	Copenhagen	14
Estonia	Republic of Estonia	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&&01415681.&&&&&01,415,681	Tallinn	6
Finland	Republic of Finland	01995-01-01 01 January 1995	&&&&&&&&05157537.&&&&&05,157,537	Helsinki	14
France	French Republic	01957-03-25 25 March 1957	&&&&&&&059765983.&&&&&059,765,983	Paris	78
Germany	Federal Republic of Germany	01957-03-25 25 March 1957¹	&&&&&&&083251851.&&&&&083,251,851	Berlin	99
Greece	Hellenic Republic	01981-01-01 01 January 1981	&&&&&&&010645343.&&&&&010,645,343	Athens	24
Hungary	Republic of Hungary	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&010075034.&&&&&010,075,034	Budapest	24
Ireland	Ireland	01973-01-01 01 January 1973	&&&&&&&&04234925.&&&&&04,234,925	Dublin	13
Italy	Italian Republic	01957-03-25 25 March 1957	&&&&&&&058751711.&&&&&058,751,711	Rome	78
Latvia	Republic of Latvia	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&&02366515.&&&&&02,366,515	Riga	9
Lithuania	Republic of Lithuania	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&&03382041.&&&&&03,382,041	Vilnius	13
Luxembourg	Grand Duchy of Luxembourg	01957-03-25 25 March 1957	&&&&&&&&&0448569.&&&&&0448,569	Luxembourg	6
Malta	Republic of Malta	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&&&0397499.&&&&&0397,499	Valletta	5
Netherlands	Netherlands	01957-03-25 25 March 1957	&&&&&&&016318199.&&&&&016,318,199	Amsterdam	27
Poland	Republic of Poland	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&038625478.&&&&&038,625,478	Warsaw	54
Portugal	Portuguese Republic	01986-01-01 01 January 1986	&&&&&&&010084245.&&&&&010,084,245	Lisbon	24
Romania	Romania	02007-01-01 01 January 2007	&&&&&&&021698181.&&&&&021,698,181	Bucharest	35
Slovakia	Slovak Republic	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&&05422366.&&&&&05,422,366	Bratislava	14
Slovenia	Republic of Slovenia	02004-05-01 01 May 2004	&&&&&&&&01932917.&&&&&01,932,917	Ljubljana	7
Spain	Kingdom of Spain	01986-01-01 01 January 1986	&&&&&&&044708964.&&&&&044,708,964	Madrid	54
Sweden	Kingdom of Sweden	01995-01-01 01 January 1995	&&&&&&&&09090113.&&&&&09,090,113	Stockholm	19
United Kingdom	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	01973-01-01 01 January 1973	&&&&&&&060201000.&&&&&060,201,000	London	78

¹ On October 3, 1990, the constituent states of the former German Democratic Republic acceded to the Federal Rebulic of Germany, automatically becoming part of the EU.
² Greenland left the Community in 1985.

[change] See also

European Union

Category: European Union

European Union member state

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

[change] List of members

[change] See also

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