European Union Member Countries

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 European countries that have chosen to work together closely for peace, stability, and economic prosperity. The EU's core principles include the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital among member states, creating a single market and a common currency, the Euro, which is used by 19 of the member countries.



The European Union (EU) was officially formed on November 1, 1993, with the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty. The founders of the European Union, often referred to as its "founder members," are the six founding countries of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), which were the precursors to the modern EU. These six founding members are:

  1. Belgium
  2. France
  3. Germany
  4. Italy
  5. Luxembourg
  6. Netherlands

There were 12 members in European Union at the time of its official formation in 1993, namely, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom.

The maximum membership of the EU from its formation in 1993 was 28 member countries. The United Kingdom left the EU on January 31, 2020, through a process known as Brexit, reducing the membership to 27 countries.

The EU Parliament is composed of 705 members with Germany having the largest representation of 96 members.

The motto of European Union is In varietate concordia in Latin which means (United in diversity)

The flag of the European Union features a circle of 12 gold stars on a blue background. They stand for the ideals of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe.

Flags of European Union

Members of European Union

Capitals and Currencies of Countries of European Union

#CountryCapitalCurrencyDate of Joining
1.AustriaViennaEuro1995
2.BelgiumCity of BrusselsEuro1952
3.BulgariaSofiaLev2007
4.CyprusNicosiaEuro2004
5.Czech RepublicPragueKoruna2004
6.DenmarkCopenhagenKrone1973
7.Estonia TalinnEuro2004
8.FinlandHelsinkiEuro1995
9.FranceParisEuro1952
10.GermanyBerlinEuro1952
11.GreeceAthensEuro1981
12.HungaryBudapestForint2004
13.IrelandDublinEuro1973
14.ItalyRomeEuro1952
15.LatviaRigaEuro2004
16.LithuaniaVilniusEuro2004
17.Luxembourg LuxembourgEuro1952
18.MaltaVallettaEuro2004
19.NetherlandsAmsterdamEuro1952
20.PolandWarsawZloty2004
21.PortugalLisbonEuro1986
22.RomaniaBucharestLeu2007
23.SlovakiaBratislavaEuro2004
24.SloveniaLjubljanaEuro2004
25.SpainMadridEuro1986
26.SwedenStockholmKrona1995
27.CroatiaZagrebEuro2013
The 20 countries which have Euro as their currency form the Eurozone. United Kingdom left the Union on 31 January 2020.

Flags of Countries of European Union

Flags of EU Countries Flags of EU Countries - 2  

Quiz on European Union

www.leadthecompetition.in

Select the right answer

1. How many countries are considered the founding members of the European Union?


2. Which city is considered the de-facto capital of the European Union?


3. How many countries form the Eurozone?


4. How many countries were the members at the time of its formation in 1993?


5. In which year did United Kingdom leave the European Union?


6. In which year did Croatia, the newest member join the European Union?


7. Which country has the highest representation in the European Parliament?


8. How many golden stars does the flag of the European Union feature?