European Union member state

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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

Flag	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