"text":"<p>The European Union's (EU) evolution is unprecedented in history, transforming from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent. Such a large number of nation-states ceding some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is unique. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the norm in Europe, although country-level unions were sometimes arranged, such as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.</p> <p>The EU is not a federation in the strict sense, but it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN or Mercosur. It has certain attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, currency (for some members), and law-making abilities, as well as diplomatic representation and a common foreign and security policy in its dealings with external partners.</p> <p>For these reasons, <em>The World Factbook</em> includes basic information on the EU as a separate entity.</p>"
"text":"In the aftermath and devastation of the two World Wars, a number of far-sighted European leaders in the late 1940s sought to respond to the overwhelming desire for peace and reconciliation on the continent. In 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed pooling the production of coal and steel in Western Europe, which would bring France and West Germany together and be open to other countries as well. The following year, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members -- Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands -- signed the Treaty of Paris. <p>Within a few years, the ECSC was so successful that member states decided to further integrate their economies. In 1957, envisioning an \"ever closer union,\" the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), which eliminated trade barriers among the six member states to create a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and a legislative body known today as the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but direct elections began in 1979 and have been held every five years since. <br><br>In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC added Denmark, Ireland, and the UK. The 1980s saw further membership expansion, with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further cooperation in foreign and defense policy and judicial and internal affairs, as well as the creation of an economic and monetary union -- including a common currency. The Maastricht Treaty created the European Union (EU), at the time standing alongside the EC. In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU/EC, raising the total number of member states to 15. On 1 January 1999, the new euro currency was launched in world markets and became the unit of exchange for all EU member states except Denmark, Sweden, and the UK. In 2002, citizens of the 12 participating member states began using euro banknotes and coins.<br><br>In an effort to ensure that the EU could function efficiently with an expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice in 2000 set forth rules to streamline the size and procedures of the EU's institutions. An effort to establish a \"Constitution for Europe,\" growing out of a Convention held in 2002-2003, foundered when it was rejected in referenda in France and the Netherlands in 2005. A subsequent effort in 2007 incorporated many features of the rejected draft Constitutional Treaty, while also making a number of substantive as well as symbolic changes. The new treaty, referred to as the Treaty of Lisbon, sought to amend existing treaties rather than replace them. The treaty was approved at a conference of member states, and after all member states ratified, the Lisbon Treaty came into force on 1 December 2009, at which point the EU officially replaced and succeeded the EC. <br><br>Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 -- Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007 and Croatia in 2013. UK citizens on 23 June 2016 narrowly voted to leave the EU; the formal exit, widely known as \"Brexit,\" took place on 31 January 2020. The EU and the UK negotiated a withdrawal agreement that included a status quo transition period through December 2020, when the follow-on EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was concluded. Current EU membership stands at 27. Eight of the newer member states -- Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia -- have now adopted the euro, bringing total euro-zone membership to 20.</p>"
"text":"population distribution varies considerably from country to country but tends to follow a pattern of coastal and river settlement, with urban agglomerations forming large hubs; the area in and around the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg (known collectively as Benelux), is the most densely populated area in the EU"
"text":"flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic Sea region"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> only the 24 official languages are listed; German, the major language of Germany and Austria, is the most widely spoken mother tongue - about 16% of the EU population; English is the most widely spoken foreign language - about 29% of the EU population is conversant with it; English is an official language in Ireland and Malta and thus remained an official EU language after the UK left the bloc (2020)"
"text":"population distribution varies considerably from country to country but tends to follow a pattern of coastal and river settlement, with urban agglomerations forming large hubs; the area in and around the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg (known collectively as Benelux), is the most densely populated area in the EU"
"text":"Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south"
"text":"the 27 European Union member states are spread across three time zones"
},
"note":"<strong>note: </strong>the European Council and the Council of the European Union meet in Brussels, Belgium, except for Council of the EU meetings held in Luxembourg in April, June, and October; the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France, and has administrative offices in Luxembourg; the Court of Justice of the European Union is located in Luxembourg; and the European Central Bank is located in Frankfurt, Germany"
"text":"<p>27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden</p> <p>13 overseas countries and territories: 1 with Denmark (Greenland), 6 with France (French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna), and 6 with the Netherlands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten); all are part of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA)</p>",
"note":"<strong>note 1: </strong>the 9 EU candidate countries include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine<strong><br><br>note 2:</strong> several non-European overseas countries and territories (OCTs) have special relations with Denmark, France, and the Netherlands (list is annexed to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) and are associated with the EU to promote their economic and social development; member states apply the same treatment to their trade with OCTs as they accord each other; OCT nationals are in principle EU citizens, but OCTs are not part of or subject to the EU"
"text":"EU treaties can be amended in several ways:<br><br>1) Ordinary Revision Procedure (for key amendments to the treaties); initiated by an EU member state, the European Parliament, or the European Commission; after the proposal is adopted by the European Council, a conference of national government representatives then reviews the proposal; passage requires ratification by all EU member states<br><br>2) Simplified Revision Procedure (for amendment of EU internal policies and actions); passage of a proposal requires unanimous European Council vote after European Council consultation with the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Central Bank (if the amendment concerns monetary matters) and requires ratification by all EU member states<br><br>3) Passerelle Clause; allows the alteration of a legislative procedure without a formal amendment of the treaties<br><br>4) Flexibility Clause; permits the EU to decide in subject areas where EU competences have not been explicitly granted in the treaties but are necessary to the attainment of treaty objectives"
"text":"three EU institutions have functions that can be regarded as executive in nature:<br><br><em>European Council</em> - composed of member-state heads of state or government, along with the president of the European Commission; meets at least four times a year to issue general policy guidance; the president of the European Council is appointed by leaders of the EU member states for a 2 1/2 year term, renewable once <br><br><strong>president:</strong> António Costa (since 1 December 2024)<br><br><em>Council of the European Union </em>- consists of member-state officials, ranging from working-level diplomats to cabinet ministers in specific policy fields such as foreign affairs, agriculture, or economy; has policymaking, coordinating, and legislative functions<br><br><strong>president:</strong> the six-month presidency rotates among the member states<br><em><em><br></em></em> <em>European Commission</em> - composed of 27 commissioners (one from each member state), including the president; the president assigns each commissioner one or more policy areas, called portfolios; the Commission has the sole right to initiate EU legislation, except for foreign and security/defense policy, and is responsible for monitoring the application of EU law, implementing/executing the EU budget, negotiating in certain policy areas, and ensuring the EU's external representation in some policy areas; the president is nominated for a 5-year term by the European Council and confirmed by the European Parliament; the European Parliament also confirms the entire Commission for a 5-year term <br><br><strong>president: </strong>Ursula von der Leyen (since 1 December 2019)",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> for external representation and foreign policy, member-state leaders appoint a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; the High Representative's concurrent appointment as Vice President of the European Commission is meant to bring more coherence to the EU’s foreign policy; the High Representative helps develop and implement the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defense Policy, chairs the Council of the EU's meetings of member-state foreign ministers, represents and acts for the EU in many international contexts, and oversees the European External Action Service, the EU's diplomatic corps"
"note":"<strong>note 1:</strong> the European Parliament (EP) President, Roberta METSOLA, was elected in January 2022 and reelected in July 2024 by a majority of EP members (MEPs)<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> the EP and the Council of the EU share responsibilities for adopting the bulk of EU legislation; the European Commission proposes legislation, and the two other bodies have to agree for the proposal to become law -- except in the area of Common Foreign and Security Policy, which is governed by consensus of the EU member-state governments"
"text":"Court of Justice of the European Union, which includes the Court of Justice (informally known as the European Court of Justice or ECJ, includes 11 advocates general) and the General Court (consists of 27 judges, one drawn from each member state; can include additional judges); both the ECJ and the General Court sit in chambers of 3 to 5 judges but may sit in a Grand Chamber of 15 judges in special cases"
"text":"The Left or GUE/NGL<br>European Conservatives and Reformists or ECR<br>Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA<br>European People's Party or EPP<br>Europe of Sovereign Nations or ESN<br>Patriots for Europe or PfE<br>Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats or S&D<br>Renew Europe or Renew (formerly Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE)"
"text":"7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the European Union); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the Treaties of Rome, signed on 25 March 1957 and entered into force on 1 January 1958, created the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community; a series of subsequent treaties increased efficiency and transparency, prepared for new member states, and introduced new areas of cooperation such as a single currency; the Treaty of Lisbon, signed on 13 December 2007 and entered into force on 1 December 2009, is the most recent"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Europe Day (also known as Schuman Day), 9 May (1950)"
"text":"<strong>description:</strong> a blue field with 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle in the center; blue stands for the sky of the Western world, and the stars for unity, solidarity, and harmony<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the number of stars is fixed and does not correspond to the number of member states"
"text":"adopted 1985; the anthem is meant to represent all of Europe rather than just the organization, conveying the ideals of peace, freedom, and unity"
"text":"among the world's largest and most technologically advanced regions, the EU industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrous metal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems, electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food and beverages, furniture, paper, textiles"
"note":"<strong>note: </strong>top five non-EU export partners based on percentage share of external exports; does not include internal trade among EU member states"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> top five export commodities based on value in dollars; includes both exports to external partners and internal trade among EU member states"
"note":"<strong>note: </strong>top five non-EU import partners based on percentage share of external imports; does not include internal trade among EU member states"
"note":"<strong>note: </strong>top five import commodities based on value in dollars; includes both imports from external partners and internal trade among EU member states"
"text":"the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) provides the civilian, military, and political structures for EU crisis management and security issues; the highest bodies are:<br><br>the Political and Security Committee (PSC), which meets at the ambassadorial level as a preparatory body for the Council of the EU; it assists with defining policies and preparing a crisis response<br><br>the European Union Military Committee (EUMC) is the EU's highest military body; it is composed of the chiefs of defense (CHODs) of the Member States, who are regularly represented by their permanent Military Representatives; the EUMC provides the PSC with advice and recommendations on all military matters within the EU<br><br>the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CIVCOM) provides advice and recommendations to the PSC in parallel with the EUMC on civilian aspects of crisis management<br><br>the Politico-Military Group (PMG) provides advice and recommendations to the PSC on political aspects of EU military and civil-military issues, including concepts, capabilities and operations and missions, and monitors implementation<br><br>other bodies set up under the CSDP include the Security and Defense Policy Directorate (SECDEFPOL), the Integrated approach for Security and Peace Directorate (ISP), the EU Military Staff (EUMS), the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), the Civilian Operations Headquarters (CivOpsHQ), the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), the European Defense Agency (EDA), the European Security and Defense College (ESDC), the EU Institute for Security Studies, the EU Satellite Center, the Peace, Partnerships and Crisis Management Directorate (PCM) (2025)",
"note":"<strong>note 1: </strong>Frontex is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency that supports EU Member States and Schengen-associated countries in the management of the EU’s external borders and the fight against cross-border crime; it has a standing corps of uniformed border guard officers directly employed by Frontex as staff members and regularly deployed to border guarding missions, plus thousands of other officers seconded by EU member states <br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> in 2017, the EU set up the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defense (PESCO), a mechanism for deepening defense cooperation amongst member states through binding commitments and collaborative programs on a variety of military-related capabilities such as cyber, maritime surveillance, medical support, operational readiness, procurement, and training"
"note":"<strong>note 1:</strong> the European Defense Fund (EDF) has a budget of approximately $8 billion for 2021-2027; about $2.7 billion is devoted to funding collaborative defense research while about $5.3 billion is allocated for collaborative capability development projects that complement national contributions; the EDF identifies critical defense domains that it will support<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> NATO is separate from the EU and is resourced through the direct and indirect contributions of its members; NATO’s common funds are direct contributions to collective budgets, capabilities and programs, which equate to only 0.3% of total NATO defense spending to develop capabilities and run NATO, its military commands, capabilities, and infrastructure; NATO's 2014 Defense Investment Pledge called for NATO members to meet the 2% of GDP guideline for defense spending and the 20% of annual defense expenditure on major new equipment by 2024"
"text":"since 2003, the EU has launched more than 30 civilian and military crisis-management, advisory, and training missions in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia and a naval operation in the Mediterranean to disrupt human smuggling and trafficking networks and prevent the loss of life at sea (2025)",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU established a rapid deployment force consisting of up to 5,000 troops in 2025"
"text":"the only EU agency dedicated to space is the EU Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA; established in 2021); the EUSPA originated with the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU) set up in 2002 by the European Community (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to manage the development phase of Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation program; the GJU’s responsibilities were assumed by the European Global Navigation Satellite System Supervisory Authority (GSA) in 2007<br><br>the ESA (established 1975 from the European Launcher Development Organization and the European Space Research Organization, which were established in the early 1960s) is an independent organization although it maintains close ties with the EU through an ESA/EC Framework Agreement; the ESA and EC share a joint European Strategy for Space and have together developed a European Space Policy<br><br>the ESA has 23 member states; the national bodies responsible for space in these countries sit on ESA’s governing Council: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK; Canada also sits on the Council and takes part in some projects under a Cooperation Agreement; Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia are Associate Members; Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Malta have cooperation agreements with ESA; ESA has established formal cooperation with all member states of the EU that are not ESA members (2025)"
"text":"ESA’s spaceport is located in Kourou, French Guiana; EU members Norway and Sweden have operational commercial space ports; the UK, non-EU member, has two operational commercial space ports (2025)"
"text":"EU member states have a large and advanced commercial space sector that develops and produces a full range of capabilities and technologies; a key focus for both the European Space Agency (ESA) and the EU Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) is encouraging this sector; Europe is a global leader in satellite-based communications and hosts the headquarters of three of the world’s major satellite communications companies<br><br><strong>ESA </strong>is comprehensive space agency that is active across the space sector, except for launching humans into space; its activities include producing and operating satellites with a full spectrum of capabilities (communications, multipurpose, navigational, remote sensing, science/technology), satellite launch vehicles (SLVs), space launches, astronaut training, space transportation/automated transfer vehicles, reusable spacecraft, space station modules, spacecraft components, robotic space labs, lunar/planetary surface rovers, interplanetary space probes and exploration, and space telescopes; ESA participates in international programs such as the International Space Station and works closely with Europe’s commercial space industry; it also works with a broad range of space agencies and industries of non-member countries, including China, Japan, Russia, and the US; many of its programs are conducted jointly, particularly with the US space program<br><br>the <strong>EUSPA </strong>is responsible for the operational management of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Galileo satellite navigation programs; the EU space strategy encourages investment in and the use of space services and data, fosters competition and innovation, develops space technologies, and reinforces Europe’s autonomy in accessing space (2025)"
"text":"1979 - first launch of Ariane heavy-lift satellite launch vehicle (SLV)<br><br>1980s-2011 - participated in US Space Shuttle program (included more than 20 Spacelab missions, 1983-1998)<br><br>1995 - first solar satellite/orbiter (SOHO) launched<br><br>1997-2017 - Cassini-Huygens research mission to Saturn<br><br>1998-present - participating in a series of missions with varying start dates, including the International Space Station, International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory mission (INTEGRAL), Mars Express orbiter exploration mission, Rosetta comet probe (included world’s first landing on a comet, 2014), Copernicus Earth observation program, Mars orbiter mission (ExoMars), Mercury planetary orbiter mission (BepiColombo), Solar Orbiter mission, US Gateway Lunar orbital station project<br><br>2016 - Galileo satellite-based global navigational positioning system reached initial operational capability<br><br>2019 - began development of quantum communications infrastructure (EuroQCI)<br><br>2021 - implemented EU government satellite communications (GOVSATCOM) and Space Surveillance and Awareness (SSA) components of EU space program; launched world’s first commercial, fully flexible, reprogrammable quantum satellite; launched US-built James Webb Space Telescope<br><br>2023 - launched Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission; launched Euclid space observatory/telescope<br><br>2024 - successful test launch of Ariane-6 SLV; launched probe (Hera) to study asteroid Didymos and its moon Dimorphos<br><br>2025 - announced EU Space Act, a cooperative framework for space activities across the EU"
