The European Union: 500 million people – 28 countries

Member states of the European Union

Candidate and potential candidate

countries

Founders

New ideas for lasting peace and prosperity…

Konrad Adenauer

Robert Schuman

W inston Churchill

Alcide De Gasperi

Jean Monnet

The EU symbols

The European flagThe European anthem

Europe Day, 9 May

The motto: United in diversity

24 official languages

hravatskihravatski

hravatski

Enlargement: from six to 28 countries

1952 1973 1981 1986

1990 1995 2004 2007 2013

The big enlargement: healing the division of Europe

Fall of Berlin Wall – end of CommunismEU economic help begins: Phare programme

Criteria set for a country to join the EU:• democracy and rule of law• functioning market economy• ability to implement EU laws

Formal negotiations on enlargement begin

Copenhagen summit agrees enlargement

10 new EU members: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia

41989

41992

41998

42002

42004

42007 Bulgaria and Romania join the EU

© R

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rs42013 Croatia joins on the 1st of July

Candidate and potential candidate countries

Area(1000 km²)

Population(million)

Wealth (gross domestic product

per person)

Bosnia and Herzegovina 51 3.8 7 300

Montenegro 13 0.6 10 500

Iceland 100 0.3 29 500

Kosovo under UN Security Resolution 1244

11 2.2 :

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

25 2.1 9 200

Albania 27 3.2 7 300

Serbia 77 7.3 8 400

Turkey 770 73.7 13 600

The 28 EU countries together

4 290 508 25 700

The treaties – basis for democratic cooperation built on law

1952The European Steel and Coal Community

1958The treaties of Rome:

The European Economic Community

The European Atomic Energy Community

(EURATOM)

1987The European Single

Act: the Single Market

1993Treaty of European Union

– Maastricht

1999Treaty of Amsterdam

2003Treaty of Nice

2009Treaty of Lisbon

The EU charter of fundamental rights

Binding for all the EU's activities

54 articles under 6 titles:

4 Dignity4 Freedoms4 Equality 4 Solidarity

4 Citizens' rights4 Justice

A transparent Union at your service

The website of the European Union europa.euOne and a half million documents available to the public

Europe Direct contact centreAnswers your questions:

00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11

Europe Direct Information Centres500 EU Info Points across the EU

European Union DocumentsAccess to internal documentsupon request

The European OmbudsmanDeals with complaints over EU administration

Emily O’Reilly, the EU ombudsman

EU population in the world

Population in millions, 2012

508

1343

127 143

314

EU China Japan Russia United States

1205

India

The area of the EU compared to the rest of the world

Surface area, 1 000 km²

EU China Japan Russia United States

16 889

9327 9159

4290

365

India

3287

How rich is the EU compared to the rest

of the world?

EU China Japan Russia United States EU China Japan Russia United States

12 600

5 2004 200

1300

10 800

25 200

5 800

26 300

12 000

37 100

Size of economy: 2011 gross domestic product in trillion of euros

Wealth per person: 2011 gross domestic productper person

India India

26001 200

How big are the EU countries?

Surface area in 1000 km²

Fran

ce

Sp

ain

Sw

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en

Germ

any

Pola

nd

Fin

lan

d

Ita

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Un

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Kin

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Rom

an

ia

Greece

Bu

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Hu

ng

ary

Portu

gal

Au

str

ia

Czech

Rep

ub

lic

Irela

nd

Lit

hu

an

ia

Latv

ia

Slo

vakia

Esto

nia

Den

mark

Neth

erla

nds

Belg

ium

Slo

ven

ia

Cyp

ru

s

Lu

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bu

rg

Malt

a

54

4

50

6

41

0

35

7

31

3

30

5

29

5

24

4

23

0

13

1

11

1

93

92

83

77

68

63

62

49

43

43

34

30

20

9

3

0.3

Croati

a5

6

How many people live in the EU?

Population in millions, 2012

508 million total8

1.8

65

.4

63

.0

60

.8

46

.2

38

.5

21

.4

16

.7

11

.3

10

.5

11

.0

10

.5

10

.0

9.5

8.4

7.3

5.6

5.4

5.4

4.6

3.0

2.0

2.0

1.3

0.9

0.5

0.4

Fran

ce

Sp

ain

Sw

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en

Po

lan

d

Fin

lan

d

Ita

ly

Un

ited

Kin

gd

om

Ro

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ia

Greece

Bu

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Hu

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Po

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gal

Au

str

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Czech

Rep

ub

lic

Irela

nd

Lit

hu

an

ia

Latv

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Slo

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Esto

nia

Den

mark

Neth

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nd

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Belg

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Slo

ven

ia

Cyp

ru

s

Lu

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bu

rg

Malt

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Germ

an

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Cro

ati

a4

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GDP per inhabitant: the spread of wealth

Lit

hu

an

ia

2012 GDP per inhabitant

Index where the average of the 28 EU-countries is 100

Lu

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bo

urg

Irela

nd

Neth

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nd

s

Au

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Den

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Belg

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Fin

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Germ

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Fran

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Ita

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Sp

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EU

-2

8

Cyp

ru

s

Greece

Slo

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Malt

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Hu

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Slo

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Latv

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ia

Bu

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Un

ited

Kin

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Czech

Rep

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Europe 2020 – Europe's growth strategy

EU leaders agreed in 2010 the overall strategy to get out of the economic crisis by means of:

4Smart growth

Better education, more research, greater use of communication technologies

4Sustainable growth

A resource - efficient, greener and more competitive economy

4Inclusive growth

More and better jobs, investment in skills and training, modernisation of the labour market and welfare systems, spreading the benefits of growth to all parts of the EU

4Good economic governance

Better coordination of economic policy

The five targets for the EU in 2020

Agreed in the Europe 2020 strategy:

4Employment

75% of 20-64 year-olds to be employed

4Research and innovation

3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in research

4Climate change/energy

Greenhouse gas emissions 20% lower than 1990

20% of energy from renewables

20% increase in energy efficiency

4Education

School drop-out rates below 10%

40% of 30-34–year-olds completing third-level education

4Poverty

20 million fewer people in, or at risk of, poverty and social exclusion

Europe's response to the economic crisis

2008: Worldwide financial crisis starts in the United States

Coordinated response from the EU's national governments, the European Central Bank and the European Commission:

4Commitment to the euro and to f inancial stability

4New crisis management tools and reforms of rules:

European Stability Mechanism: fund to help extraordinary economic difficulties

EU-wide financial supervisory authorities, new laws for stability of banks

4Better economic governance:

European Semester: annual procedure to coordinate public budgets

Euro+ pact, "Fiscal compact treaty” : mutual commitments to sound public

finances

2014 EU budget: € 142.6 billion = 1.06% of gross national income

How does the EU spend its money?

Global Europe: including development aid

6%

Other, administration6%

Smart and inclusive growth: jobs, competitiveness, regional development

45%

Security and citizenship, justice2%

Sustainable growth –natural resources:

agriculture, environment42%

Climate change – a global challenge

To stop global warming, EU leaders decided in 2007 to:

4 reduce greenhouse gas emissions

by 20% by 2020 (30% if other developed

countries do likewise)

4 improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020

4 raise the share of renewable energy

to 20% by 2020 (wind, solar, hydro

power, biomass)

Energy sources in a changing world

Fuel used in EU in 2010, as shareof total

Oil35%

Gas25%

Nuclear13%Coal

16%Renewables

10%

39%

84%

62%

100%

53%

OilCoal Gas Nuclear

(uranium)

Renewables All types

of fuel

0%

Share of fuel imported from outside the EU in 2010

Research - investing in the knowledge society

Spending on research and development in 2010 (% of GDP)

2.0%

3.0%

1.5%

2.9%

3.4%

EU EU objective2020

China Japan United States

Solidarity in practice: the EU cohesion policy

2007-2013: €347 billion invested for infrastructure, business, environment and training of workers for less

well-off regions or citizens

4 Regional fund

4 Social fund

4 Cohesion fund

Convergence objective: regions with GDP per capita under 75% of the EU average. 81.5% of the funds are spent on this objective.

Regional competitiveness and employment objective.

The euro – a single currency for Europeans

EU countries using the euroEU countries not using the euro

Can be used everywhere in the euro area

4Coins: one side with national symbols,

one side common

4Notes: no national side

Beating inflation

European Economic and Monetary Union: stable prices

Average annual inflation in the 17 EU-countries that used the euro in 2013

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

The single market: freedom of choice

Four freedoms of movement:

4 goods

4 services

4 people

4 capital

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The single market has led to:

Significant reductions in the price of many products and services, including airfares and phone calls

More choice for consumers

2.8 million new jobs

Free to move

“Schengen”:

4 No police or customs checks at borders between most EU countries

4 Controls strengthened at EU external borders

4 More cooperation between police from different EU

countries

4 You can buy and bring back any goods for personal use when you travel between EU countries

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Going abroad to learn

Every year, more than 400 000 young people study or pursue personal development in other European countries with support from EU programmes:

4 Comenius: school education

4 Erasmus: higher education

4 Leonardo da Vinci: vocational training

4 Grundtvig: adult education

4 Youth in Action: voluntary work and

non-formal education

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Improving health and the environment

Pollution knows no borders – joint action needed

EU action has helped bring:

4 Cleaner bathing water

4 Much less acid rain

4 Lead-free petrol

4 Free and safe disposal of old electronic equipment

4 Strict rules on food safety from farm to fork

4 More organic and quality farming

4 More effective health warnings on cigarettes

4 Registration and control of all chemicals (REACH)

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An area of freedom, security and justice

4 Charter of Fundamental Rights

4 Joint fight against terrorism

4 Police and law-enforcers from

different countries cooperate

4 Coordinated asylum and

immigration policies

4 Civil law cooperation

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The EU: an exporter of peace and prosperity

4 World trade rules

4 Common foreign and security

policy

4 Development assistance and humanitarian aid

EU runs the peacekeeping operations and the rebuilding of society in

war-torn countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The EU – a major trading power

% of global exports, goods, 2012

Others55%

EU15%

United States11%

Japan5%

China14%

% of global exports, services, 2012

Others42%

EU25%

United States18%

Japan4%

China6%

India5%

The EU is the biggest provider of development aid in the world

Official development assistance per citizen, 2011

€ 110

€ 60

€ 70

EU Japan United States

The EU provides over half of all development aid

Three key players

The European Parliament- voice of the peopleMartin Schulz, President of of the European Parliament

The European Council and the Council- voice of the Member StatesHerman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council

The European Commission

- promoting the common interestJosé Manuel Barroso, President

of the European Commission

European Parliament

The EU institutions

Court of Justice

Court of Auditors

Economic and Social Committee

Committee of the Regions

Council of Ministers(The Council) European Commission

European Investment Bank

European Central BankAgencies

European Council (summit)

How EU laws are made

Citizens, interest groups, experts: discuss, consult

Commission: makes formal proposal

Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly

Commission and Court of Justice: monitor implementation

National or local authorities: implement

The European elections 2014

The European Parliament – voice of the people

4 Decides EU laws and budget together with Council of Ministers4 Democratic supervision of all the EU’s work

Number of members elected in each country (July 2013)

United Kingdom12

22

74

73

13

Italy

Ireland

22Hungary

Greece

99Germany

France

Finland

6Estonia

13Denmark

22Czech Republic

6Cyprus

12Croatia

19Austria

22Belgium

Total 766

72

20Sweden

54Spain

8Slovenia

13Slovakia

33Romania

22Portugal

51Poland

26Netherlands

6Malta

6Luxembourg

12Lithuania

9Latvia

Bulgaria 18

*

* This figure will be reduced to 751 at the 2014 elections.

The European political parties

Greens/European Free Alliance58

European Conservatives and Reformists 55

Alliance of Liberals andDemocrats for Europe

85

European People’s Party (Christian Democrats)275

Non-attached members 28

Total : 766

Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats

196

European UnitedLeft - Nordic Green Left

34

Europe of Freedom and Democracy35

Number of seats in the European Parliament per political group

(July 2013)

Council of Ministers – voice of the member states

4One minister from each EU country

4Presidency: rotates every six months

4Decides EU laws and budget together

with Parliament

4Manages the common foreign and

security policy

Council of Ministers – number of votes per country

352Total:

3Malta

4Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia

7Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland

10Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden

12Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal

13Netherlands

14Romania

27Spain and Poland

29Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom

“Qualified majority” needed for many decisions:260 votes and a majority of member states

From 2014: 55% of the Member States with 65% of the population

Summit at the European Council

Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries

4Held at least 4 times a year4Sets the overall guidelines for EU policies

4President: Herman Van Rompuy

A high representative for foreign affairs and security

Catherine Ashton

Double hat: chairs the Foreign Affairs

Council meetings + Vice-president of

the European Commission

Manages the common foreign and

security policy

Head of European External Action

Service

The European Commission – promoting the common interest

28 independent members, one from each EU country

4Proposes new legislation4Executive organ 4Guardian of the treaties4Represents the EU on the international stage

The Court of Justice – upholding the law

28 independent judges,one from each EU country

4Rules on how to interpret EU law4Ensures EU countries apply EU laws in the same way

The European Court of Auditors: getting value for your money

28 independent members

4Checks that EU funds are used

properly 4Can audit any person or organisation

dealing with EU funds

4Ensures price stability

4Controls money supply and decides interest rates

4Works independently from governments

The European Central Bank:

managing the euro

Mario Draghi

President of the Central Bank

The European Economic and Social Committee:voice of civil society

353 members

4Represents trade unions, employers,

farmers, consumers etc

4Advises on new EU laws and policies

4Promotes the involvement of

civil society in EU matters

The Committee of the Regions:voice of local government

353 members

4Represents cities, regions

4Advises on new EU laws and policies

4Promotes the involvement of local

government in EU matters

Civil servants working for the EU

4Permanent civil servants

4Selected by open competitions

4Come from all EU countries

4Salaries decided by law

4EU administration costs €15 per EU citizen per year

4EU staff will be reduced by 5% between 2013-17

Commission employs about 23 000 permanent civil servants and 11 000 temporary or contract workers

Other EU institutions: about 10 000 employed