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The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of 4,233,255.3 km² (1,634,469.0 sq mi) and an estimated total population of about 447 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison) combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.

Containing 5.8 per cent of the world population in 2020, the EU generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$17.1 trillion in 2021, constituting approximately 18 per cent of global nominal GDP. Additionally, all EU states have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. Its cornerstone, the Customs Union, paved the way to establishing an internal single market based on standardised legal framework and legislation that applies in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market; enact legislation in justice and home affairs; and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Passport controls have been abolished for travel within the Schengen Area. The eurozone is a group composed of the 19 EU member states that have fully implemented the economic and monetary union and use the euro currency. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the union has developed a role in external relations and defence. It maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20. Due to its global influence, the European Union has been described by some scholars as an emerging superpower.

Although the United Kingdom became the only member state to leave the EU in 2020, several other countries are aspiring or negotiating to join it. (Full article...)

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The 1985 Schengen Agreement is an agreement among European states which allows for the abolition of systematic border controls between the participating countries. It also includes provisions on common policy on the temporary entry of persons, the harmonisation of external border controls and cross-border police co-operation. A total of 30 countries – including all European Union states and three non-EU members Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland – have signed the agreement and 26 have implemented it so far. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom only take part in the police co-operation measures and not the common border control and visa provisions. Border posts and checks have been removed between Schengen countries and a common 'Schengen visa' allows tourist or visitor access to the area.

The agreement was originally signed on 14 June 1985, by five European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). It was signed aboard the ship Princesse Marie-Astrid on the Moselle River, near Schengen, a small town in Luxembourg on the border with France and Germany.

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House of the Blackheads (Riga)

Photograph: David Iliff

The House of the Blackheads is a building in the old town of Riga, Latvia. The original building was erected during the early 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, with major work completed in 1580 and 1886. In 1941, the original building was bombed by the Germans; the ruins were demolished by the Soviets seven years later. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999.

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Did you know?

...that Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City all mint their own euro coins, with their own national symbols on the back, despite not being EU members?

...that Slovenia joined the Euro on January 1, 2007?

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Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Croatia. It is located in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately 122 m above sea level. In the census of 2011 the population of the city was 790,017.

Zagreb is a city with a rich history dating from the Roman times to the present day. The oldest settlement in the urban area of the city is Andautonia, a Roman settlement in the place of today's Ščitarjevo. The name "Zagreb" is mentioned for the first time in 1094 at the founding of the Zagreb diocese of Kaptol, and Zagreb became a free royal town in 1242, whereas the origin of the name still remains a mystery in spite of several theories. In 1851 Zagreb had its first mayor, Janko Kamauf, and in 1945 it was made the capital of Croatia when the demographic boom and the urban sprawl made the city it's known nowadays.

General images

The following are images from various European Union-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Euro symbol shown as a sculpture outside the European Central Bank (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 2Political groups of the European Parliament in the Louise Weiss building after the election 2014:
  Group of the European People's Party (EPP)
  Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
  Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
  European Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA)
  European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)
  European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
  Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD)
  Non-Inscrits (NI)
(from Politics of the European Union)
Image 3Signatories of the declaration in dark blue. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 4A piece from the original manuscript. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 5The European Coal and Steel Community's flag. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 6The population density of the EU is 117 people per km². (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 7Meeting in the Hall of Knights in The Hague, during the congress (9 May 1948) (from History of the European Union)
Image 8Coins and banknotes of the Euro, the single-currency introduced from 1999 (from History of the European Union)
Image 9Europa regina in Sebastian Münster's "Cosmographia", 1570. (from History of the European Union)
Image 10The fertility rate in the EU was 1.6 in 2014 (Kindergarten in France). (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 11José Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission (2004-2014) (from History of the European Union)
Image 12The flag of Europe, emblem of both the Council of Europe and the European Union. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 13Organigram of the political system. The seven organs of the Union are in blue, national / intergovernmental elements in orange. (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 14After two devastating world wars, the political climate favoured an international unity that could preserve peace in Europe effectively. (Hamburg, after a massive Allied bombing in 1943 in the picture) (from History of the European Union)
Image 15Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission
(since 1 December 2019) (from History of the European Union)
Image 16The Frankish Empire at its greatest extent, ca. 814 AD. (from History of the European Union)
Image 17The ordinary legislative procedure of the European Union (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 18The Schuman Parade in Warsaw has been organised by the Schuman Foundation since 1999 (2008 photograph). (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 19Hearing of Josep Borrell, High Representative Vice President (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 20Population pyramid of the EU 27 in 2021 (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 21Newest state in yellow. (from History of the European Union)
Image 22A cartogram depicting the population distribution between old EU-27 member states in 2008 (including the UK and excluding Croatia). 58% of all citizens of the EU live in the four largest member states: Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 23Konrad Adenauer, Walter Hallstein and Antonio Segni, signing the European customs union and Euratom in Rome in 1957 (from History of the European Union)

Topics

European Union articles

History

Timeline	Pre-1948 1948–1957 1958–1972 1973–1993 1993–2004 Since 2004
Predecessors	Timeline Founders Western Union (1948–1954) Western European Union (1954–2011) European Communities (1967–2009) European Coal and Steel Community (1951–2002) European Economic Community (1958–1993)/European Community (1993–2009) Euratom (1958–present)
Past enlargements	1973 1981 1986 1995 2004 2007 2013

Geography

Bodies

Institutions of the EU

International organisations	European Central Bank
Other institutions	European Council European Commission European Parliament Committees of the European Parliament Council of the European Union European Court of Auditors Court of Justice of the European Union

Other EU bodies
being
international
organizations

EIB Group	European Investment Bank European Investment Fund EIB Institute
Other	Energy Community European Atomic Energy Community European Stability Mechanism European University Institute Unified Patent Court

Secondary-law corporate
and decentralised bodies

Agencies, decentralised independent bodies, corporate bodies and joint undertakings

Other bodies

Politics

Concepts	Eurosphere Intergovernmentalism Multi-speed Europe Neofunctionalism Optimum currency area Supranational union Euroscepticism Euromyths Federalisation Pro-Europeanism Democratic legitimacy
Policies	Area of freedom, security and justice Migration and asylum policy Schengen Area European Judicial Network (criminal matters) European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters Common Foreign and Security Policy Common Security and Defence Policy Enlargement Policy Neighbourhood Policy Global Strategy Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) European System of Central Banks European banking union Single Supervisory Mechanism Single Resolution Mechanism Capital Markets Union European System of Financial Supervision Single market Agricultural policy Cultural policies Customs Union Educational policies Energy policy Environmental policy European Green Deal Fisheries policy Healthcare Labour mobility Regional development Space policy Sport policies VAT Area Enhanced cooperation
Politics	Elections parliamentary constituencies National parties by affiliation Integration Parliamentary groups Withdrawal Greenland United Kingdom 2012 Nobel Peace Prize
Law	Acquis Charter of Fundamental Rights Citizenship passports identity card (list) Driving licence Competition law Copyright law Directive Citizens' Rights Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification Official Journal Legislative procedure Citizens' Initiative Regulation Treaties opt-outs LGBT rights
Foreign relations	Potential superpower status Neighbourhood Policy European Economic Area Economic Partnership Agreements European Union Association Agreement Stabilisation and Association Process Eastern Partnership Euronest Parliamentary Assembly EU Strategy for the South Caucasus Northern Dimension Union for the Mediterranean Global Strategy Free trade agreements EU/ESA Framework Agreement Enlargement Current agenda Statistics