| European Union Europäische Union Unione Europea Unión Europea Union européenne Evropska unija Evropská unie Európska únia Unia Europejska | |
| |
| |
| Capital: | Brussels, Belgium |
| Official languages: | 11 languages |
| Membership: | 19 member states |
| Prime Commissioner: President of the Council: |
 José Manuel Durão Barroso Felipe González
|
| Currency: | Euro |
The European Union is a European supranational organisation made up of several European governments. It traces its roots back to year 1957, when seven countries (Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, West Germany, Italy, France and the Dutch Republic) signed the Treaty of Rome, creating the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the Union.
Member states[]
| Region | Capital | Area (km²) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Vienna | 83,872 | 8,356,707 |
| Belgium | Brussels | 30,528 | 10,827,519 |
| Bulgaria | Sofia | 110,993.6 | 7,606,000 |
| Czechoslovakia | Prague | 127,900 | 15,880,652 |
| Danish-Norwegian Union | Copenhagen | 2,698,836.31 | 10,801,804 |
| Dutch Republic | Amsterdam | 41,526 | 16,595,250 |
| France | Paris | 674,843 | 65,447,374 |
| Germany, East | Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR | 108,333 | 14,726,046 |
| Germany, West | Bonn | 248,577 | 67,031,554 |
| Greece | Athens | 131,990 | 11,306,183 |
| Hungary | Budapest | 93,030 | 10,020,000 |
| Ireland | Dublin | 84,421 | 6,197,100 |
| Italy | Rome | 213,155 | 42,380,505 |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2,586.4 | 502,202 |
| Malta | La Valetta | 316 | 413,609 |
| Poland | Warsaw | 312,679 | 38,130,302 |
| Romania | Bucharest | 238,391 | 22,215,421 |
| Spain | Madrid | 958,219 | 76,324,253 |
| Yugoslavia | Belgrade | 255,804 | 23,083,525 |
Enlargements[]
| Enlargement | Date | Countries | Territories |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEC foundation | 1957 | Belgium, Dutch Republic, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain |
|
| First enlargement | 1973 | Austria, Malta |
|
| Second enlargement | 1986 | Danish-Norwegian Union, Greece, Ireland |
Greenland, Feroe Islands, Svalbard, Iceland |
| Third enlargement | 1995 | Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland |
|
| Fourth enlargement | 1999 | French Guyana, Galapagos, Macau, Western Sahara | |
| Fifth enlargement | 2004 | Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia |