Which countries are members of the European Union? Full list

Last year, the European Union celebrated its 60th anniversary. However, a year earlier, Great Britain presented a "surprise": a national referendum revealed the desire of the British to secede from this interethnic organization. On March 29, 2019, the Kingdom of Great Britain will be the first and so far the only country in history to leave the European Union. And which countries are members of the European Union? What are its prospects?

Which countries are members of the European Union? List

Having compiled such a table, we think we answered the question of how many countries and which are included in the European Union.

"Non-European" European Union

But the European Union also includes non-European countries, the following overseas territories of the European Union countries, which have a special status, are:

Despite these precedents, similar territories of Great Britain, Holland and Denmark are not included in the European Union.

Eurosceptics

However, this is not surprising. After all, even not all European countries strive to become its members. Cold are the Scandinavian northerners. For example, Sweden and Denmark did not completely switch to the euro, retaining national currencies. And which Scandinavian country is not a member of the European Union? There are even two of them - Norway and Iceland. Norway was not satisfied with the restrictions imposed by the entry conditions, although the country applied for participation three times. Today, Norway is included in other European agreements such as Schengen, but no more. For Iceland, this is not a hot issue at all. Especially after the negotiations that have already taken place.

Also, the eternally neutral Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. The government was thinking about joining, but the population at the 1992 referendum clearly said: "No!" They are Eurosceptics and do not look to the west of Belarus and Russia.

Dwarf Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Liechtenstein are not considering the prospects of becoming "single European". But, however, does not interfere with those who wish to connect. These are the Balkan countries.

"School" of the European Union

Here is a list of countries having an association agreement with the European Union. European countries here are candidates for joining it. But the association is much wider than Europe.

Here are the countries included in the "school" of the European Union. Indeed, in order to become a member, one must meet the requirements put forward, that is, in fact, undergo training and pass "exams".

Three graduates

Today it is held by Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo. In Tirana and Skopje, they are still frozen at the stage of middle "classes": they have the status of candidates. Belgrade, Podgorica and Ankara on the “issue”: are negotiating with Brussels (the capital of the European Union). Moreover, the Turkish "second year" has been doing this for almost ten years (since 1999), but it is constantly failing at the "exams". In Sarajevo and Pristina - "junior high school students". The first only applied for entry, and the second - so far only verbally announced their intentions.

Subject to change. Here, for example, there is talk of an "anti-European" referendum in Holland.

So, perhaps, the answer to the question "which countries are part of the European Union?" in a few decades it will sound completely different. The composition may change.

Which countries were the first to join the European Union?

The history of the creation of this national association dates back to 1951, when Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy established the European Coal and Steel Association, which aims to improve the development of these industries.

In 1957, these same countries decided to expand the "platform" to the EEC (European Economic Community). Now the cooperation concerned not only metallurgy and coal mining and everything else. Then the answer to the question which countries are members of the European Union was short. In the 60s, trade duties were removed between the member countries of the Union. And then there were: 1973rd, 1981st, 1986th, 1995th, 2004th, 2007th, 2013th. In these years, other countries joined the European Union. The European Union earned to the fullest between 1995 and 1999, when the "Schengen zone" became not a project, but a reality, when the new pan-European currency, the "euro", was put into circulation, when supranational political authorities started working.

Should the EU be?

Unfortunately, recent phenomena in the global economy and politics have added weighty grams to the scales of Eurosceptics. The global financial crisis, poorly controlled population migration from the war and unrest of Libya and Syria to the EU countries, chronic lagging behind the northerners' economies and social institutions that cannot be overcome, the default in Greece, the difficulties of the newcomers of the European Union, hoping for their rapid economic growth rather than stagnation, or, in general, degradation. Added problems and sanctions against Russia, because significant volumes of entire sectors of the economy of the EU countries were oriented to the east.

The Europeans are also worried by the statement of US President Donald Trump about a possible revision of relations within the NATO military bloc. Build your army? What kind of money? Who will command her?

Nietzsche knows

Now the EU is in crisis, and this is good for him. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger,” the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche used to say. Today's day challenges the EU, if it survives it, it will become much stronger than it was before.

Should the EU be? Time will tell, but it is unlikely to collapse overnight. Its backbone - the same six founding countries - did and is doing everything to make the European Union live and develop.