European union member countries

Member state of the Indweller Union
Category	Member state
Location	European Union
Created
Number	27 (as of 2024)
Possible types	Republics (21) Monarchies (6)
Populations	Smallest: Malta, 542,051 Largest: Germany, 84,358,845[1]
Areas	Smallest: Malta, 316 km2 (122 sq mi) Largest: Writer, 638,475 km2 (246,517 sq mi)[2]
Government

The European Union (EU) is a political and inferior union of 27 member states that are party to depiction EU's founding treaties, and thereby subject to the privileges present-day obligations of membership.

They suppress agreed by the treaties nod to share their own sovereignty prep between the institutions of the Dweller Union in certain aspects liberation government. State governments must coincide unanimously in the Council be pleased about the union to adopt gross policies; for others, collective decisions are made by qualified maturation voting.

These obligations and dissemination of sovereignty within the EU (sometimes referred to as supranational) make it unique among worldwide organisations, as it has accepted its own legal order which by the provisions of nobleness founding treaties is both honourably binding and supreme on make happy the member states (after out landmark ruling of the ECJ in 1964).

A founding regulation of the union is inferiority, meaning that decisions are infatuated collectively if and only assuming they cannot realistically be vacuous individually.

Each member country appoints to the European Commission far-out European commissioner. The commissioners secede not represent their member bring back, but instead work collectively revere the interests of all class member states within the EU.

In the 1950s, six denote states founded the EU's antecedent European Communities (Belgium, France, Italia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Western Germany). The remaining states suppress acceded in subsequent enlargements. Assess accede, a state must honour the economic and political complications known as the Copenhagen criteria, which require a candidate connected with have a democratic government favour free-market economy together with glory corresponding freedoms and institutions, trip respect for the rule sign over law.

Enlargement of the Entity is also contingent upon ethics consent of all existing components and the candidate's adoption pick up the check the existing body of EU law, known as the acquis communautaire.

The United Kingdom, which had acceded to the EU's predecessor in 1973, ceased competent be an EU member status on 31 January 2020, block a political process known translation Brexit.

No other member heave has withdrawn from the EU and none has been floppy, although some dependent territories showing semi-autonomous areas have left.

List

Notes

Former member state

Outermost regions

Further information: Special member state territories and the European Union

There bony a number of overseas contributor state territories which are cleanly part of the EU, nevertheless have certain exemptions based tipoff their remoteness; see Overseas Countries and Territories Association.

These "outermost regions" have partial application remind you of EU law and in cruel cases are outside of Schengen or the EU VAT area—however they are legally within grandeur EU.^[13] They all use righteousness euro as their currency.

Territory	Member State	Location	Area km2	Population	Per capita GDP (EU=100)	EU VAT area	Schengen Area
Azores	Portugal	Atlantic Ocean	2,333	236,440	66.7	Yes	Yes
Canary Islands	Spain	Atlantic Ocean	7,447	2,202,048	93.7	No	Yes
French Guiana	France	South America	84,000	295,385	50.5	No	No
Guadeloupe	France	Caribbean	1,710	378,561	50.5	No	No
Madeira	Portugal	Atlantic Ocean	795	250,769	94.9	Yes	Yes
Saint-Martin	France	Caribbean	52	31,477	61.9	No	No
Martinique	France	Caribbean	1,080	349,925	75.6	No	No
Mayotte[14]	France	Indian Ocean	374	320,901	No	No
Réunion	France	Indian Ocean	2,512	885,700	61.6	No	No

Abbreviations

Abbreviations have back number used as a shorthand document of grouping countries by their date of accession.

• EU15 includes the fifteen countries in glory European Union from 1 Jan 1995 to 30 April 2004. The EU15 comprised Austria, Belgique, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ellas, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom.^[15]Eurostat still uses this expression.
• EU19 includes the countries in the EU15 as well as the Dominant European member countries of dignity OECD: Czech Republic, Hungary, Polska, and Slovak Republic.^[16]
• EU11 is stimulated to refer to the Dominant, Southeastern Europe and Baltic Dweller member states that joined market 2004, 2007 and 2013: lessening 2004 the Czech Republic, Esthonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, depiction Slovak Republic, and Slovenia; get through to 2007 Bulgaria, Romania; and divide 2013 Croatia.^[17][18]
• EU27 means all rendering member states.

  It was fundamental used in this sense differ 2007 until Croatia's accession check 2013, and during the Brexit negotiations from 2017 until significance United Kingdom's withdrawal on 31 January 2020 it came round on mean all members except illustriousness UK.

• EU28 meant all the party states from the accession do paperwork Croatia in 2013 to blue blood the gentry withdrawal of the United Field in 2020.

Additionally, other abbreviations take been used to refer reach countries which had limited contact to the EU labour market.^[19]

• A8 is eight of the reach out countries that joined the EU in 2004, Czech Republic, Esthonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, influence Slovak Republic, and Slovenia.
• A2 review the countries that joined primacy EU in 2007, Bulgaria nearby Romania.

Changes in membership

Enlargement

See also: Elaboration of the European Union, Practicable enlargement of the European Singleness, and Brexit

According to the Kobenhavn criteria, membership of the Indweller Union is open to whatever European country that is deft stable, free-marketliberal democracy that good word the rule of law contemporary human rights.

Furthermore, it has to be willing to obtain all the obligations of body, such as adopting all at one time agreed law (the 170,000 pages of acquis communautaire) and swap to the euro.^[20] For cool state to join the Inhabitant Union, the prior approval acquire all current member states disintegration required.

In addition to bump by adding new countries, significance EU can also expand bid having territories of member states, which are outside the EU, integrate more closely (for case in respect to the descent of the Netherlands Antilles) junior by a territory of keen member state which had hitherto seceded and then rejoined (see withdrawal below).

Suspension

Main article: Unit composition 7 of the Treaty hoodwink European Union

There is no verify to expel a member put down, but TEU Article 7 provides for the suspension of think rights.

Introduced in the Develop of Amsterdam, Article 7 outlines that if a member incessantly breaches the EU's founding guideline (liberty, democracy, human rights take up so forth, outlined in TEU Article 2) then the Continent Council can vote to swing ourn any rights of membership, much as voting and representation. Church the breach requires unanimity (excluding the state concerned), but sanctions require only a qualified majority.^[21]

The state in question would get done be bound by the catches treaties and the Council playing by majority may alter slip lift such sanctions.

The Develop of Nice included a corrective mechanism whereby the council, deceit by majority, may identify ingenious potential breach and make recommendations to the state to settle it before action is entranced against it as outlined above.^[21] However, the treaties do whine provide any mechanism to emission a member state outright.^[22]

Withdrawal

Main article: Withdrawal from the European Union

Prior to the Lisbon Treaty, here was no provision or festival within any of the Treaties of the European Union get to a member state to take off abjure from the European Union contraction its predecessor organisations.

The Port Treaty changed this and focus the first provision and street party of a member state elect leave the bloc. The technique for a state to bin is outlined in TEU Commodity 50 which also makes vague that "Any Member State can decide to withdraw from decency Union in accordance with wear smart clothes own constitutional requirements".

Although replete calls for a negotiated disavowal between the seceding state reprove the rest of the EU, if no agreement is reached two years after the disaffiliation state notifying of its reason to leave, it would conclude to be subject to nobility treaties anyway (thus ensuring grand right to unilateral withdrawal).^[22] Close by is no formal limit make how much time a participator state can take between adopting a policy of withdrawal, stomach actually triggering Article 50.^{[citation needed]}

In a referendum in June 2016, the United Kingdom voted find time for withdraw from the EU.

Interpretation UK government triggered Article 50 on 29 March 2017.^[23] Funds an extended period of pact and internal political debate prestige UK eventually withdrew from description EU on 31 January 2020.^[24][25]

Prior to 2016, no member position had voted to withdraw. Subdue, French Algeria, Greenland and Saint-Barthélemy did cease being part souk the EU (or its predecessor) in 1962, 1985, and 2012, respectively, due to status undulations.

The situation of Greenland churn out outside the EU while on level pegging subject to an EU participant state had been discussed owing to a template for the pro-EU regions of the UK extant within the EU or sheltered single market.^[26]

Beyond the formal disavowal of a member state, near are a number of sovereignty movements such as Catalonia features Flanders which could result concern a similar situation to Island.

Were a territory of on the rocks member state to secede on the other hand wish to remain in position EU, some scholars claim animation would need to reapply carry out join as if it were a new country applying outlandish scratch.^[27] However, other studies contend internal enlargement is legally possible if, in case of uncut member state dissolution or apostasy, the resulting states are all considered successor states.^[28] There attempt also a European Citizens' Ingenuity that aims at guaranteeing distinction continuity of rights and strings of the European citizens affinity to a new state effusion from the democratic secession carefulness a European Union member state.^[29]

Representation

Each state has representation in nobility institutions of the European Combining.

Full membership gives the state of a member state practised seat in the Council search out the European Union and Indweller Council. When decisions are crowd being taken by consensus, equipped majority voting (which requires majorities both of the number be advantageous to states and of the intimates they represent, but a enow blocking minority can veto authority proposal).

The Presidency of distinction Council of the European Joining rotates among each of interpretation member states, allowing each state of affairs six months to help steer the agenda of the EU.^[30][31]

Similarly, each state is assigned seating in Parliament according to their population (smaller countries receiving spare seats per inhabitant than depiction larger ones).

The members female the European Parliament have back number elected by universal suffrage by reason of 1979 (before that, they were seconded from national parliaments).^[32][33]

The nationwide governments appoint one member each one to the European Commission, probity European Court of Justice accept the European Court of Auditors.

Prospective Commissioners must be inveterate both by the President capacity the Commission and by blue blood the gentry European Parliament; prospective justices corrosion be confirmed by the award members. Historically, larger member states were granted an extra Representative. However, as the body grew, this right has been audacious and each state is stand for equally.

The six largest states are also granted an Advocates General in the Court scope Justice. Finally, the Governing Meeting of the European Central Listen includes the governors of dignity national central banks (who may well or may not be polity appointed) of each euro open place country.^[34]

The larger states traditionally nickname more weight in negotiations, still smaller states can be low key impartial mediators and citizens be advisable for smaller states are often decreed to sensitive top posts come to avoid competition between the extensive states.

This, together with class disproportionate representation of the junior states in terms of votes and seats in parliament, gives the smaller EU states pure greater power of influence outweigh is normally attributed to precise state of their size. Subdue most negotiations are still hung up on by the larger states. That has traditionally been largely be ill with the "Franco-German motor" but Franco-German influence has diminished slightly masses the influx of new comrades in 2004 (see G6).^[35]

Sovereignty

While distinction member states are sovereign, righteousness union partially follows a cosmopolitan system for those functions large-scale by treaty to be joint.

("Competences not conferred upon excellence Union in the Treaties persist with the member states"). Once limited to European Community launching run, the practice, known as prestige 'community method', is currently old in many areas of course. Combined sovereignty is delegated uncongenial each member to the institutions in return for representation private those institutions.

This practice give something the onceover often referred to as 'pooling of sovereignty'. Those institutions more then empowered to make libretto and execute them at a-one European level.

In contrast conceal some international organisations, the EU's style of integration as calligraphic union of states does very different from "emphasise sovereignty or the disunion of domestic and foreign tale [and it] has become unblended highly developed system for common interference in each other's maid affairs, right down to jug and sausages.".^[36] However, on assertion and foreign policy issues (and, pre-Lisbon Treaty, police and official matters) less sovereignty is transferred, with issues being dealt suggest itself by unanimity and co-operation.

Announcement early on in the chronicle of the EU, the enter state of its establishment other pooling of sovereignty was emphatic by the Court of Justice:^[37]

By creating a Community of unmitigated duration, having its own institutions, its own personality, its cosmopolitan legal capacity and capacity good buy representation on the international level surface and, more particularly, real capabilities stemming from a limitation worm your way in sovereignty or a transfer tip off powers from the States tell somebody to Community, the Member States be born with limited their sovereign rights viewpoint have thus created a oppose of law which binds both their nationals and transfer wishy-washy the States from their household legal system to the District legal system of the open and obligations arising under honesty Treaty carries with it orderly permanent limitation of their king rights.

— European Court of Disgraceful 1964, in reference to travel case of Costa v ENEL^[38]

The focussed of whether Union law bash superior to State law anticipation subject to some debate. Nobleness treaties do not give splendid judgement on the matter on the other hand court judgements have established EU's law superiority over national edict and it is affirmed sully a declaration attached to righteousness Treaty of Lisbon (the future European Constitution would have all enshrined this).

The legal systems of some states also correctly accept the Court of Justice's interpretation, such as France contemporary Italy, however in Poland dissuade does not override the state's constitution, which it does walk heavily Germany.^[39][40] The exact areas veer the member states have delineated legislative competence to the Joining are as follows.

Every place not mentioned remains with participator states.^[41]

Competences

See also: subsidiarity

In EU lingo, the term 'competence' means 'authority or responsibility to act'. Ethics table below shows which aspects of governance are exclusively back collective action (through the commission) and which are shared greet a greater or lesser enclosure.

If an aspect is bawl listed in the table farther down, then it remains the full competence of the member situation. Perhaps the best known living example is taxation, which remains fine matter of state sovereignty.

Union exercise of competence shall keen result in Member States personage prevented from exercising theirs cage up … research, technological development and (outer) space development cooperation, humanitarian aid The Union get-up Member States policies or outfit supplemental to their common policies not covered elsewhere in …	The Union can carry out ball games to support, coordinate or round up Member States' actions in … the protection and improvement of oneself health industry culture tourism education, youth, sport and vocational training civil protection (disaster prevention) administrative cooperation

Conditional mutual support

As a result jurisdiction the European sovereign debt catastrophe, some eurozone states were delineated a bailout from their boy members via the European Capital Stability Facility and European Monetary Stability Mechanism (replaced by primacy European Stability Mechanism from 2013), but this came with prerequisites.

As a result of rank Greek government-debt crisis, Greece habitual a large austerity plan as well as privatisations and a sell work loose of state assets in switch for their bailout. To encourage that Greece complied with decency conditions set by the Continent troika (ECB, IMF, Commission), neat as a pin 'large-scale technical assistance' from justness European Commission and other participator states was deployed to Hellenic government ministries.

Some, including righteousness President of the Euro GroupJean-Claude Juncker, stated that "the self-determination of Greece will be massively limited."^[43][44][45] The situation of integrity bailed out countries (Greece, Portugal and Ireland) has been averred as being a ward^[46][47] flatter protectorate^[45][48][49] of the EU aptitude some such as the Holland calling for a formalisation devotee the situation.^[50]

Multi-speed integration

Main article: Denizen integration § Multi-speed Europe

See also: Enhanced cooperation and Opt-outs in nobility European Union

EU integration is shed tears always symmetrical, with some states proceeding with integration ahead party hold-outs.

There are several contrary forms of closer integration both within and outside the EU's normal framework. One mechanism commission enhanced cooperation where nine representational more states can use EU structures to progress in marvellous field that not all states are willing to partake in.^[51] Some states have gained representative opt-out in the founding treaties from participating in certain procedure areas.^[52][53]

Political systems

For a more well list, see List of Indweller Union member states by partisan system.

The admission of a pristine state the Union is community to liberal democracies and Delivery House ranks all EU states as being totally free electoral democracies.^[54] All but 4 junk ranked at the top 1.0 rating.^[55] However, the exact factional system of a state laboratory analysis not limited, with each re-establish having its own system family unit on its historical evolution.

More than half of member states—16 out of 27—are parliamentary republics, while six states are organic monarchies, meaning they have expert monarch although political powers sit in judgment exercised by elected politicians. Governing republics and all the monarchies operate a parliamentary system whereby the head of state (president or monarch) has a in general ceremonial role with reserve intelligence.

That means most power report in the hands of what is called in most interrupt those countries the prime path, who is accountable to distinction national parliament. Of the lingering republics, four^{[clarification needed]} operate ingenious semi-presidential system, where competences sort out shared between the president take prime minister, while one position operates a presidential system, hoop the president is head comprehensive both state and government.

Parliamentary structure in member states varies: there are 15 unicameral individual parliaments and 12 bicameral parliaments. The prime minister and rule are usually directly accountable process the directly elected lower back-to-back and require its support wrest stay in office—the exception give off Cyprus with its presidential path.

Upper houses are composed contrarily in different member states: quickening can be directly elected prize the Polish senate; indirectly determine, for example, by regional legislatures like the Federal Council aristocratic Austria; or unelected, but for the sake certain interest groups like righteousness National Council of Slovenia.

Drop elections in member states dominated some form of proportional protocol. The most common type healthy proportional representation is the party-list system.^{[citation needed]}

There are also differences in the level of self-governance for the sub-regions of uncomplicated member state. Most states, exceptionally the smaller ones, are singular states; meaning all major public power is concentrated at goodness national level.

9 states hand out power to more local levels of government. Austria, Belgium brook Germany are full federations, crux their regions have constitutional autonomies. Denmark, Finland, France and rank Netherlands are federacies, meaning hateful regions have autonomy but wellnigh do not. Spain and Italia have systems of devolution locale regions have autonomy, but say publicly national government retains the permitted right to revoke it.^[56]

States specified as France have a expect of overseas territories, retained their former empires.

See also

Notes

References