The European Union: 500 million people – 28 countries

Member States of the

European Union
24 official languages

Български English latviešu valoda português

Čeština español lietuvių kalba Română
dansk français magyar slovenčina
Deutsch Gaeilge Malti slovenščina
eesti keel hrvatski Nederlands suomi
Ελληνικά Italiano polski svenska
Schuman day
The EU institutions

European Council (summit)

Council of Ministers
European Parliament (The Council) European Commission

Court of Court of Economic and Social

Justice Auditors Committee Committee of the Regions

European Investment Bank Agencies European Central Bank

Founders

New ideas for lasting peace and prosperity…

Konrad Adenauer Alcide De Gasperi

Winston Churchill

Robert Schuman Jean Monnet

The treaties – basis for democratic cooperation built on law

1952 The European Coal and Steel Community

1958 The treaties of Rome:

• The European Economic Community
• The European Atomic Energy Community
(EURATOM)

1987 The European Single Act: the Single

Market

1993 Treaty on European Union - Maastricht

1999 Treaty of Amsterdam

2003 Treaty of Nice

2009 Treaty of Lisbon

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Binding for all the EU's activities

54 articles under 6 titles:

Dignity Freedoms Equality

Solidarity Citizens’ rights Justice

The EU symbols

The motto:
United in diversity The European anthem

The euro The European flag Europe Day, 9 May

The European political parties

Number of seats in the European Parliament

per political group (December 2016)

Total: 751
EU population compared to the rest of the world

Population in millions (2015)

EU surface area compared to the rest of the world

Surface area (x 1000 km²)

How rich is the EU compared to the rest of the world?

Size of economy: Wealth per person:

GDP in trillions of euro (2014) GDP per person (2014)
How many people live in the EU?

Population in millions (2015)

508 million in total
GDP per inhabitant: the spread of wealth

GDP per inhabitant (2015)

Index where the average of the 28 EU countries is 100
How does the EU spend its money?

2017 EU budget: € 157.9 billion

= 1.05 % of gross national income
The European economy: stronger together

2008: Worldwide financial crisis starts in the United States.

Coordinated response from European leaders:

• Commitment to the euro and to financial stability

• New crisis management tools and reforms of rules:
European Stability Mechanism: fund to help countries in extraordinary
economic difficulties
New laws for stability of banks
Banking Union: EU-wide supervision of banks and a mechanism to close
down failing banks
• Better economic governance:
European Semester: annual procedure to coordinate public budgets
Euro+ pact, ‘Fiscal compact treaty’: mutual commitments to sound public
finances
Ten priorities for Europe

The European Commission of President Jean-Claude

Juncker focuses on:

The investment plan: a new A reasonable and balanced free

boost for jobs, growth and trade agreement with the United
investment States

A connected digital single market An area of justice and fundamental

rights based on mutual trust

A resilient energy union with a

forward-looking climate A new policy on migration
change policy

A deeper and fairer internal

Europe as a stronger global actor
market with stronger industries

A deeper and fairer economic A European Union of democratic

and monetary union change
An investment plan for Europe

The European Fund for Strategic Investments

• 2015: Europe’s economy begins to recover after the crisis, but the level of
investment is still low. Investors have money, but little confidence

• New EU fund from mid-2015

• The fund starts with € 21 billion from EU sources

• Investments are made in viable business projects, for example in digital and
energy infrastructure, transport, small businesses, green projects and
innovation

• Multiplier effect: public money will trigger private investors to follow suit,
with up to € 315 billion

• Could create 1.3 million new jobs over three years

Climate change – a global challenge

To stop global warming, EU leaders decided in 2014 to:

• reduce greenhouse gas emissions by

40 % by 2030, compared to 1990
• raise the share of renewable energy
to 27 % by 2030 (wind, solar, hydro
power, biomass)
• increase energy efficiency by 27 % by
2030
Solidarity in practice: the EU cohesion policy

2014-2020: € 352 billion invested in infrastructure, business,

environment and training of workers for the benefit of poorer regions
and citizens

• Regional fund
• Social fund
• Cohesion fund

Less-developed regions: GDP per

capita under 75 % of the EU average

Transition regions: GDP per capita

between 75 % and 90 % of the EU
average

More-developed regions: GDP per

capita over 90 % of the EU average
The euro – a single currency for Europeans

Why the euro?

• No fluctuation risk and foreign exchange
cost

• More choice and stable prices for

consumers

• Closer economic cooperation between EU

countries

Can be used everywhere in

the euro area
• Coins: one side with national symbols,
one side common

• Notes: no national side

EU countries using the euro
EU countries not using the euro
The single market: freedom of choice

Four freedoms of movement:

• goods
• services
• people
• capital

The single market has led to:

• significant reductions in the price of many
products and services, including airfares and
phone calls

• more choice for consumers

• 2.8 million new jobs

Free to move

‘Schengen’

• No police or customs checks at borders

between most EU countries

• Controls strengthened at the EU’s external

borders

• More cooperation between police from

different EU countries

• Buy and bring back any goods for personal

use when you travel between EU countries
Going abroad to learn

Erasmus+

Every year, more than 400 000

young people study or pursue
personal development in other
European countries with the
support of the EU’s Erasmus+
programme for education,
training, youth and sport.
The EU: an exporter of peace and prosperity

• World trade rules

• Common foreign and security policy

• Development assistance and

humanitarian aid
The EU is the biggest provider of development aid
in the world

The EU provides over half of all development aid

Official development aid, billion € (2015)

Three key players

The European Parliament

- voice of the people
Antonio Tajani, President of the European
Parliament

The European Council and the Council

- voice of the Member States
Donald Tusk, President of the European
Council

The European Commission

- promoting the common interest
Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European
Commission
The European Parliament – voice of the people

Decides EU laws and budget together with the Council of Ministers

Democratic supervision of all the EU’s work

Number of members elected in each country

Austria - 18 Germany - 96 Netherlands - 26

Belgium - 21 Greece - 21 Poland - 51
Bulgaria - 17 Hungary - 21 Portugal - 21
Croatia - 11 Ireland - 11 Romania - 32
Cyprus - 6 Italy - 73 Slovakia - 13
Czech Republic - 21 Latvia - 8 Slovenia - 8
Denmark - 13 Lithuania - 11 Spain - 54
Estonia - 6 Luxembourg - 6 Sweden - 20
Finland - 13 Malta - 6 United Kingdom - 73
France - 74

Total - 751
The Committee of the Regions: voice of local government

353 members

• Represents cities and regions

• Advises on new EU laws and policies
• Promotes the involvement of local government in EU
matters
Civil servants working for the EU

The Commission employs about 23 000 permanent civil

servants and 11 000 temporary or contract workers

Other EU institutions employ about 10 000 staff

• Permanent civil servants

• Selected by open competitions

• Come from all EU countries

• Salaries decided by law

• EU administration costs €15 per EU citizen per year

• EU staff will be reduced by 5% between 2013 and 2017

Getting in touch with the EU

Questions about the EU? Europe Direct can help

• By phone, email or webchat

• Over 500 regional information
centres

europa.eu/europedirect