Saturday 17 January 2015

THE EUROPEAN UNION

The EU today (click on map to enlarge)

Size
3,976,372 km²

Size comparison
Europe is less than one-half the size of the USA.

Landscape
Flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coasts; mountainous in the central and southern areas.

Highest Point
Mont Blanc, at 4,807m, on the border between France and Italy.

Climate
Cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south.

European construction, key dates
1952: 6 countries formed a community: the EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY.
1957: the European Economic Community was set up, made of 6 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg.
1985: most of the countries sign the Schengen Agreement which led to the creation of the borderless Schengen area. 
1993: the European Union set up following the Treaty of Maastricht.
2002: the euro became the common money of the Eurozone.

The 28 members of the European Union (+ dates they joined)
Austria (1995)
Belgium (1957)
Bulgaria (2007)
Croatia (2013)
Cyprus (2004)
Denmark (1973)
Estonia (2004)
Finland (1995)
France (1957)
Germany (1957)
Greece (1981)
Hungary (2004)
Ireland (1973)
Italy (1957)
Latvia (2004)
Lithuania (2004)
Luxembourg (1957)
Malta (2004)
Netherlands (1957)
Poland (2004)
Portugal (1986)
Romania (2007)
Slovakia (2004)
Slovenia (2004)
Spain (1986)
Sweden (1995)

When did countries join the EEC/EU?
1957
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
1973
Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland
1981
Greece
1986
Portugal, Spain
1995
Austria, Finland, Sweden
2004
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia
2007
Bulgaria, Romania
2013
Croatia

Official languages
Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish.

Religions
Christianity, Islam, Judaism

Anthem
The Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s 9th symphony was adopted in 1972 by the Council of Europe as the anthem for Europe. It is used on occasions such as Europe Day and formal events such as the signing of treaties or on other special occasions.

Slogan
United in diversity

Flag

EU Institutions


What is Europe Day?
Europe Day on 9th of May; it is an annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe. How did it begin? On the 9th of May in 1950, French foreign minister Robert Schuman called all the European countries still recovering from the Second World War to pool their production of coal and steel. This was a real step to institute peace and solidarity in Europe. And it was a way to boost the Europe economy. The Schuman Declaration is seen as the real start of European political and economic integration. To celebrate this day, EU institutions and ordinary citizens organize concerts, dance shows, giant quizzes, information stands and all sorts of activities.

What do you know about each country of the EU?

In this blog you will find basic information on each country:
  1. Physical geography
  2. An iconic place
  3. An iconic object
  4. Something the country has done for the world
  5. Famous historical figure
  6. Important living person
  7. History before 2000
  8. History after 2000
  9. Human geography (demography,  wealth distribution, social problems, etc.)
  10. Language(s) and culture(s)
  11. Politics, place in the EU, economy
  12. Youth
Article by Margaux GUILHEM