Wikijunior:Europe/EU

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[edit] What is the European Union?

The European Union is a super-national group of 27 countries in Europe, and was initially formed in the 1950's.

These countries trade with each other in a common market, meaning that goods can be sold and bought freely across the union. People can also live and work (with some restrictions) in any EU country if they are an EU citizen. Member countries also have some common laws derived from decisions made by the union. Each country in the EU also elects politicians to a European Parliament which helps make and decide what common goals the union should pursue. Fifteen countries in the European Union also share a common currency: the Euro.

[edit] Which countries are in the EU?

There are 27 countries in the EU which has a population of around 500 million and the largest economy in the world.

The members are (in order of when they joined): France, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria.

Macedonia, Croatia and Turkey are applicant countries who wish to join the European Union in the future.

[edit] Which countries use the Euro?

Fifteen countries use the Euro as their currency. All other members (except the United Kingdom and Denmark) must adopt the Euro in the future.

The following countries use the Euro (in order of when they joined the EU and started using the Euro): France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta.