WikipediaExtracts:European Union

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\n{{collapsible list\n |titlestyle = text-align:center;font-size:85%;\n |title = {{resize|130%|European Union}}\n |liststyle = text-align:center;\n | {{native name|bg|Европейски съюз}} \n {{native name|hr|Europska unija}} \n {{native name|cs|Evropská unie}} \n {{native name|da|Den Europæiske Union}} \n {{native name|nl|Europese Unie}} \n {{native name|et|Euroopa Liit}} \n {{native name|fi|Euroopan unioni}} \n {{native name|fr|Union européenne}} \n {{native name|de|Europäische Union}} \n {{native name|el|Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση}} \n {{native name|hu|Európai Unió}} \n {{native name|ga|An tAontas Eorpach}} \n {{native name|it|Unione europea}} \n {{native name|lv|Eiropas Savienība}} \n {{native name|lt|Europos Sąjunga}} \n {{native name|mt|Unjoni Ewropea}} \n {{native name|pl|Unia Europejska}} \n {{native name|pt|União Europeia}} \n {{native name|ro|Uniunea Europeană}} \n {{native name|sk|Európska únia}} \n {{native name|sl|Evropska unija}} \n {{native name|es|Unión Europea}} \n {{native name|sv|Europeiska unionen}}\n}}"},"linking_name":{"wt":"the European Union"},"image_flag":{"wt":"Flag of Europe.svg"},"alt_flag":{"wt":"Circle of 12 gold stars on a blue background"},"flag_border":{"wt":"yes"},"symbol_width":{"wt":""},"motto":{"wt":"{{Native name|la|\"In Varietate Concordia\"|italics=off}}"},"englishmotto":{"wt":"\"United in Diversity\""},"anthem":{"wt":"\"European Anthem\"{{Paragraph break}}{{Center|

}}"},"text_symbol_type":{"wt":""},"text_symbol":{"wt":""},"image_map":{"wt":"{{Switcher\n |

\n | Show globe\n |

\n | Show special territories\n }}"},"loctext":{"wt":""},"alt_map":{"wt":"Globe projection with the EU in green"},"map_caption":{"wt":"{{Map_caption|countryprefix=the|location_color=dark green|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey}}"},"capital":{"wt":"Brussels (''de facto'')<ref name=\"capital\">{{cite book |last=Cybriwsky |first=Roman Adrian |title=Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-61069-248-9 |page=[{{GBurl|id=qb6NAQAAQBAJ|p=64}} 64] |quote=Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is considered to be the de facto capital of the EU}}</ref>"},"admin_center_type":{"wt":"Institutional seats"},"admin_center":{"wt":"{{collapsible list\n | framestyle=\"border: none; padding: 0;\"\n | title = {{nowrap|Brussels}}{{efn|Due to the concentration of key institutions, Brussels and the European Union are often closely associated, and the city is frequently regarded as the ''de facto'' capital of the EU. However, as the European Union is not a sovereign state, it does not have an official capital in the strict sense.}}\n | bullets = true\n | Commission\n | European Council \n | Council of the EU\n | Parliament (secondary)\n }}\n {{Collapsible list\n | framestyle=\"border: none; padding: 0;\"\n | title = {{nowrap|Frankfurt}}\n | bullets = true\n | Central Bank\n }}\n {{Collapsible list\n | framestyle=\"border: none; padding: 0;\"\n | title = {{Nowrap|Luxembourg}}\n | bullets = true\n | Court of Auditors\n | Court of Justice\n | Council of the EU (April, June and October sessions)\n | Secretariat of the Parliament\n | Commission (various departments and services)\n }}\n {{Collapsible list\n | framestyle=\"border: none; padding: 0;\"\n | title = {{nowrap|Strasbourg}}\n | bullets = true\n | Parliament\n }}"},"largest_settlement_type":{"wt":"metro"},"largest_settlement":{"wt":"Paris"},"official_languages":{"wt":"24 languages"},"languages_type":{"wt":"Official scripts"},"languages":{"wt":"{{hlist|Latin|Greek|Cyrillic}}"},"religion":{"wt":"{{tree list}}\n* 66.2% Christianity\n** 45.3% Catholicism\n** 10% Eastern Orthodoxy\n** 8.3% Protestantism\n** 2.6% Other Christian\n* 25.4% No religion\n* 1.4% Islam\n* 5.6% Other\n{{Tree list/end}}"},"religion_year":{"wt":"2021"},"religion_ref":{"wt":"<ref name=\"EB2021\">{{cite web|url=https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/s2237_95_2_516_eng?locale=en%7Cvia=European Data Portal (see Volume B: EU/socio-demographics: Question D90.2. \"Do you consider yourself to be...\")|title=Special Eurobarometer 516 : European citizens’ knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology|publisher=European Union: European Commission|date=September 2021|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>"},"demonym":{"wt":"European"},"org_type":{"wt":"Supranational union"},"membership":{"wt":"{{Collapsible list|titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;\n |title = 27 members\n |Austria\n |Belgium\n |Bulgaria\n |Croatia\n |Cyprus\n |Czech Republic\n |Denmark\n |Estonia\n |Finland\n |France\n |Germany\n |Greece\n |Hungary\n |Ireland\n |Italy\n |Latvia\n |Lithuania\n |Luxembourg\n |Malta\n |Netherlands\n |Poland\n |Portugal\n |Romania\n |Slovakia\n |Slovenia\n |Spain\n |Sweden\n }}"},"government_type":{"wt":"Mixed supranational and intergovernmental directorial parliamentary confederation"},"leader_title1":{"wt":"President of the European Council"},"leader_name1":{"wt":"António Costa"},"leader_title2":{"wt":"President of the European Commission"},"leader_name2":{"wt":"Ursula von der Leyen"},"leader_title3":{"wt":"Presidency of the Council of the European Union"},"leader_name3":{"wt":"Ireland<ref name=\"presidency-council\">{{cite web |title=Council of the European Union |url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/presidency-council-eu/ |publisher=Council of the EU |access-date=1 July 2026 |archive-date=4 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260204223933/https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/presidency-council-eu/ |url-status=live }}</ref>"},"leader_title4":{"wt":"President of the European Parliament"},"leader_name4":{"wt":"Roberta Metsola"},"sovereignty_type":{"wt":"Formation<ref>Current Article 1 of the Treaty on European Union reads: \"The Union shall be founded on the present Treaty and on the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Those two Treaties shall have the same legal value. The Union shall replace and succeed the European Community\".</ref>"},"legislature":{"wt":"European Parliament • Council of the European Union"},"established":{"wt":""},"established_event1":{"wt":"Treaty of Paris"},"established_date1":{"wt":"23 July 1952"},"established_event2":{"wt":"'''Treaty of Rome'''"},"established_date2":{"wt":"1 January 1958"},"established_event3":{"wt":"Single European Act"},"established_date3":{"wt":"1 July 1987"},"established_event4":{"wt":"'''Treaty of Maastricht''', Establishment of EU"},"established_date4":{"wt":"1 November 1993"},"established_event5":{"wt":"Treaty of Lisbon"},"established_date5":{"wt":"1 December 2009"},"area":{"wt":""},"area_km2":{"wt":"4,225,104"},"area_sq_mi":{"wt":"{{Convert|4,225,104|km2|sqmi|disp=number}}"},"area_footnote":{"wt":" (incl. outermost regions)<ref>{{cite web|title=Area by NUTS 3 region|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/reg_area3__custom_17346318/default/table?lang=en%7Cdate=14 February 2025|access-date=4 July 2025|publisher=Eurostat|website=ec.europa.eu/eurostat}}</ref>"},"percent_water":{"wt":"2.93"},"area_label":{"wt":"Total"},"area_label2":{"wt":""},"area_dabodyalign":{"wt":""},"population_estimate":{"wt":"{{IncreaseNeutral}}{{Spaces}}451,990,314<ref name=\"Population.EU\">{{Cite web |title=Population on 1 January by age and sex |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tps00001/default/table?lang=en |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |date=10 July 2026 |access-date=17 July 2026 }}</ref>"},"population_census":{"wt":"{{IncreaseNeutral}}{{Spaces}}443,883,877<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population Census 2021 |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/cens_21agr2__custom_21063170/default/table |publisher=Eurostat |website=ec.europa.eu |date=22 May 2025 |access-date=19 April 2026 }}</ref>"},"population_estimate_year":{"wt":"2026"},"population_census_year":{"wt":"2021"},"population_density_km2":{"wt":"{{#expr: 450646971/4225104 round 1}}"},"population_density_sq_mi":{"wt":"{{#expr: 450646971/1631322 round 1}}"},"GDP_PPP":{"wt":"{{increase}} $30.929 trillion<ref name=\"IMFWEO.EU\">{{cite web |url=https://data.imf.org/en/Data-Explorer?datasetUrn=IMF.RES:WEO(9.0.0) |title=World Economic Outlook Database (October 2026 Edition) |publisher=International Monetary Fund |website=www.imf.org |date=13 October 2026 |access-date=14 October 2026}}</ref>"},"GDP_PPP_year":{"wt":"2026"},"GDP_PPP_per_capita":{"wt":"{{increase}} $68,514<ref name=\"IMFWEO.EU\" />"},"GDP_nominal":{"wt":"{{increase}} $22.806 trillion<ref name=\"IMFWEO.EU\" />"},"GDP_nominal_year":{"wt":"2026"},"GDP_nominal_per_capita":{"wt":"{{increase}} $50,521{{efn|Nominal GDP / (PPP/Per capita)}}<ref name=\"IMFWEO.EU\" />"},"Gini":{"wt":"29.3"},"Gini_change":{"wt":"decrease"},"Gini_year":{"wt":"2024"},"Gini_ref":{"wt":"<ref name=\"eurogini\">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en%7Ctitle=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income|publisher=Eurostat|website=ec.europa.eu/eurostat|date=16 June 2025|access-date=4 July 2025|archive-date=9 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009091832/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en%7Curl-status=live}}</ref>"},"currency":{"wt":"Euro (€) (EUR) {{Break}}{{Collapsible list\n | framestyle=\"border: none; padding: 0;\" \n | title = Others\n | {{Nowrap|Czech koruna (CZK)}}\n | {{Nowrap|Danish krone (DKK)}}\n | {{Nowrap|Hungarian forint (HUF)}}\n | {{Nowrap|Polish złoty (PLN)}}\n | {{Nowrap|Romanian leu (RON)}}\n | {{Nowrap|Swedish krona (SEK)}}\n}}"},"time_zone":{"wt":"WET, CET, EET"},"utc_offset":{"wt":"{{Nowrap| to UTC+2}}"},"time_zone_DST":{"wt":"WEST, CEST, EEST"},"utc_offset_DST":{"wt":"{{Nowrap|+1 to UTC+3}}"},"DST_note":{"wt":"''(see also Summer time in Europe)''{{efn|With the exception of the Canary Islands and Madeira, the outermost regions observe different time zones not shown: Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin (UTC−4); French Guiana (UTC−3); Azores (UTC−1 / UTC); Mayotte (UTC+3); and La Réunion (UTC+4); which, other than the Azores, do not observe DST.}}"},"cctld":{"wt":".eu, .ευ, .ею{{efn|.eu, .ευ, and .ею are representative of the whole of the EU; member states also have their own TLDs.}}"},"official_website":{"wt":"{{Official URL}}"},"footnote1":{"wt":""},"footnote2":{"wt":""},"footnote7":{"wt":""},"footnotes":{"wt":""}},"i":0}}]}' id="mwDg">

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. A supranational union with a total area of 4,233,255 km² (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated population of just under 452 million as of 2026, its member states generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around €18.802 trillion in 2025, accounting for approximately one sixth of global economic output. The EU is often described as a sui generis political entity combining characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.

Its cornerstone, the Customs Union, paved the way to establishing an internal single market based on standardised legal framework and legislation that apply 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 21 EU member states that have fully implemented the EU's 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. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The EU was established, along with its citizenship, when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. The Union later acquired a single, explicit international legal personality with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009. Its beginnings can be traced to the Inner Six states (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany) at the start of modern European integration in 1948, and to the Western Union, the International Authority for the Ruhr, the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, which were established by treaties. These increasingly amalgamated bodies grew, with their legal successor, the EU, both in size through the accessions of a further 22 states from 1973 to 2013, and in power through acquisitions of policy areas. In 2020, the United Kingdom became the only member state to leave the EU; ten countries are aspiring or negotiating to join it.

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WikipediaExtracts:European Union

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