Gianna Rocca

European Nations Assignment

1. What is it?
The European Union is a group of countries whose
governments work together, it can be considered a club.
Countries join because they believe that they will benefit from the
changes the EU makes; but in order to join, a country must agree
to follow the rules and, in return, the country will receive certain
benefits. To become a member, each country must pay- and most
do this through taxes. The EU then uses the money to change the
way people live and do business in Europe.
2. When was it established? Who were the original members?
The EU was established in 1957 when the original members:
Belgium, France, Netherlands, Italy, and Germany, joined.
3. Who is in it currently?
There are currently 28 countries in the UE: Belgium, France,
Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland, UK,
Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Hungary,
Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia.
4. Which European nations are NOT members?
European nations that are not members of the EU include:
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, Switzerland, Turkey
5. What does it do?
The majority of the work the EU does is bringing the people
in Europe closer together. The EU attempts to change the rules
that control trade in order to make it easier for Europeans to buy
and sell products to each other. The EU is also working to put an
end to controls that stop people from EU countries moving around

freely inside the union. In addition, the EU supports things like

exchange visits that help ordinary Europeans to understand what
they all have in common.
6. How is it run?
The EU consists of four main parts: The European Council,
The European Parliament, The European Commission, and The
Presidency. These parts are all responsible for running different
areas in the EU. The European Council is where the EU's big
decisions are normally made. The European Parliament decides
whether suggestions from the European Commission should be
made into new laws. The European Commission does the day-today work of running the EU. Overall, every six months a different
country gets the presidency of the EU.
7. Who and why are some in the UK Pro-Europeans?
The UK Pro- Europeans are those who believe that the EU is a
good idea and often want the UK to start using the Euro currency.
Pro-Europe people are involved because they think Britain will
benefit from being part of a larger group of countries.
8. Who and why are some in the UK Eurosceptics?
Eurosceptics are people who feel that the UK is different
from other European countries: they are often worried that the UK
is losing its independence and identity. People are in the UK
Eurosceptics because they wish for the British to withdrawal from
the EU, so they use their positions to campaign for it.
9. What is the Euro?
The euro is a type of money that is used by 16 countries in
Europe. These countries include: Austria, Belgium, Finland,

France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,

Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia.
10.

How has the EU grown since its birth?

Since its birth in 1957, The European Union started with just six
countries/members. Throughout the following years, the EU
continued to expand when various countries began to join. Today,
the EU has 28 members, and three of them - Croatia, the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey, are all official
candidates for membership. Lots of other countries are trying to
get into the EU.
11. Top five aims of the EU?
1. Promote economic and social progress.
Help people earn enough money and get treated fairly.
2. Speak for the European Union on the international scene.
By working as a group the EU hopes that Europe will be listened
to more by other countries.
3. Introduce European citizenship.
Anyone from a member state is a citizen of the EU and gets four
special rights.
4. Develop Europe as an area of freedom, security and justice.
Help Europeans to live in safety, without the threat of war.
5. Maintain and build on established EU law.
Make laws that protect peoples rights in the member countries.