Portal:European Union

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The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The Union has a total area of 4,233,255 km² (1,634,469 sq mi) and an estimated total population of over 449 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.

Containing 5.8% of the world population in 2020, EU member states generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$16.6 trillion in 2022, constituting approximately one sixth of global nominal GDP. Additionally, all EU states except Bulgaria have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. Its cornerstone, the Customs Union, paved the way to establishing an internal single market based on standardised legal framework and legislation that applies 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 20 EU member states that have fully implemented the 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. Due to its global influence, the European Union has been described by some scholars as an emerging superpower.

In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The United Kingdom became the only member state to leave the EU, in 2020; ten countries are aspiring or negotiating to join it. (Full article...)

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The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, is an inter-governmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 20 member states. Its headquarters are in Paris, France. ESA has a staff of about 2,000 with an annual budget of about €4 billion in 2013.

ESA's spaceport is the Centre Spatial Guyanais (Guyana Space Centre) in Kourou, French Guiana, a site chosen because it is close to the equator from which commercially important orbits are easier to access. During the 1990s ESA gained the position of market leader in commercial space launches and in recent years ESA has established itself as a major player in space exploration.

ESA science missions are based at ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands, Earth Observation missions at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy, ESA Mission Control (ESOC) is in Darmstadt, Germany, and the European Astronaut Centre (PACI), that trains astronauts for future missions is situated in Cologne, Germany.

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Centennial Hall

Photograph credit: Jarek Ciuruś

The Centennial Hall is a historic building in Wrocław, Poland. It was designed by Max Berg in 1911, when the city was known as Breslau and belonged to the Province of Silesia in the German Empire, to host a 1913 exhibition celebrating the centennial of the Battle of Leipzig. The building is one of the most important examples of early modernist and expressionist architecture. In 2006, it was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Poland. The Wrocław exhibition ground, surrounding the hall, also includes a pergola, the needle-like monument Iglica, and the Four Domes Pavilion, which is part of the National Museum.

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Did you know?

...that "Nocturne" is the Eurovision Song Contest winner with the fewest words, the Norwegian language original having only 25?

...that the Eastgate Clock (pictured) in Chester is the second most photographed timepiece in the United Kingdom, after Big Ben?

...that "Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet?" received three perfect scores at the start of voting in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 before ultimately coming in fourth, making Hungary the only debuting nation to lead the voting?

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Berlin is the capital city and one of 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Area, comprising 5 million people from over 190 nations. Geographically embedded in the European Plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city's territory is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.

First documented in the 13th century, Berlin was successively the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945). During the 1920s, Berlin was the third largest municipality in the world. After World War II, the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (1961–1989). Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of all Germany hosting 147 foreign embassies.

Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, congress and convention venues. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport, and is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the EU. Significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, optoelectronics, traffic engineering, and renewable energy.

The metropolis is home to renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras, museums and personalities. The urban and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for international film productions. The city is recognized for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, public transportation networks and a high quality of living.

Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist.

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General images

The following are images from various European Union-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Elaboration by sex (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 2The Euro symbol shown as a sculpture outside the European Central Bank (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 3Logo of the European Central Bank (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 4Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in the European Union in 2019 (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 5Political groups of the European Parliament in the Louise Weiss building after the election 2024:
  Group of the European People's Party (EPP)
  Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)
  Patriots for Europe (PfE)
  European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR)
  Renew Europe (Renew)
  The Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA)
  The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL (The Left)
  Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN)
  Non-Inscrits (NI)
  Vacant (1)
(from Politics of the European Union)
Image 6Organigram of the political system. The seven organs of the Union are in blue, national / intergovernmental elements in orange. (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 7Population pyramid of the EU 27 in 2023 (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 8Newest state in yellow (from History of the European Union)
Image 9Logo of the European Commission (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 10Logo of the Court of Justice of the European Union (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 111922 European flag of the Paneuropean Union (from History of the European Union)
Image 12Flag of the Western Union (from History of the European Union)
Image 13Aristide Briand (from History of the European Union)
Image 14Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission
(since 1 December 2019) (from History of the European Union)
Image 15The European Coal and Steel Community's flag. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 16Meeting in the Hall of Knights in The Hague, during the Congress of Europe (9 May 1948) (from History of the European Union)
Image 17Logo of the European Parliament (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 18Europa regina in Sebastian Münster's "Cosmographia", 1570 (from History of the European Union)
Image 19Winston Churchill (right, during the Atlantic Conference), consistent advocate of continential European integration, later along with his son-in-law Duncan Sandys (from History of the European Union)
Image 20The Schuman Parade in Warsaw has been organised by the Schuman Foundation since 1999 (2008 photograph). (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 21A piece from the original manuscript. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 22Coins and banknotes of the Euro, the single-currency introduced from 1999 (from History of the European Union)
Image 23The Frankish Empire at its greatest extent, ca. 814 AD (from History of the European Union)
Image 24José Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission (2004-2014) (from History of the European Union)
Image 25A cartogram depicting the population distribution between old EU-27 member states in 2008 (including the UK and excluding Croatia). 57.8% of all citizens of the EU live in the four largest member states: Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 26Konrad Adenauer, Walter Hallstein and Antonio Segni, signing the European customs union and Euratom in Rome in 1957 (from History of the European Union)
Image 27Logo of the European Council and the Council of the European Union (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 28Hearing of Josep Borrell, High Representative Vice President (from Politics of the European Union)
Image 29Signatories of the 2007 declaration in dark blue. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 30Logo of the European Court of Auditors (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 31After two devastating world wars, the political climate favoured an international unity that could preserve peace in Europe effectively (Hamburg, after a massive Allied bombing in 1943 in the picture). (from History of the European Union)
Image 32The fertility rate in the EU was 1.46 in 2022 (Kindergarten in France). (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 33The population density of the EU is 106 people per km². N.B. the light in the North Sea is from oil platforms. (from Demographics of the European Union)
Image 34Boris Johnson Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022 (from History of the European Union)
Image 35The flag of Europe, emblem of both the Council of Europe and the European Union. (from Symbols of the European Union)
Image 36The ordinary legislative procedure of the European Union (from Politics of the European Union)