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The European Union (EU) was originally created by six founding
states in 1958, but has grown to its current size of 27
member states. There were five successive enlargements during this period, with the largest occurring on May 1, 2004, when 10 member states joined.
The
EU have 27 member states since 2007 with the addition of
Romania and
Bulgaria. Negotiations are also underway with other states. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as
European integration. However, this term is also used to refer to the intensification of cooperation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual centralising of power within European institutions. In order to join the European Union, a state needs to fulfill the economic and political conditions generally known as the
Copenhagen criteria. That basically requires a secular, democratic government, rule of law and corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the
EU Treaty, each current member state and also the
European Parliament have to agree to any enlargement.
Bulgaria and
Romania comprise the second part of the EU's fifth enlargement and joined the EU on January 1, 2007. This date was firmly set at the
Thessaloniki Summit in 2003 and confirmed at Brussels on June 18, 2004. The country reports of October 2004, and in the final report on September 26, 2006 also affirmed the January 1, 2007 date of accession for both Bulgaria and Romania. Bulgaria and Romania signed their
Treaty of Accession on April 25, 2005 at
Luxembourg'sNeumünster Abbey.
The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in
northwest Europe bordered by
the Netherlands,
Germany,
Luxembourg and
France. Belgium has a population of over ten million people, in an area of around 30,000 square kilometres. Historically, Belgium has been a part of the
Low Countries, which also include the Netherlands and Luxembourg and used to cover a somewhat larger region than the current
Benelux group of states. More recently, Belgium was a founding member of the
European Union, hosting its headquarters, as well as those of many other major
international organisations, such as
NATO.
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in
Northern Europe. Estonia has land borders to the south with fellow Baltic state
Latvia (339 km) and
Russia (229 km) to the east. It is separated from
Finland in the north by the narrow
Gulf of Finland and from
Sweden in the west by the
Baltic Sea. Estonia has been a member of the
European Union since May 1, 2004 and of the
NATO since March 29, 2004. Estonia is a
constitutionaldemocracy, with a president elected by its unicameral
parliament.
The Republic of Ireland is the official description of the sovereign state which covers approximately five-sixths of the island of
Ireland, off the coast of north-west
Europe. The state's constitutional name is Ireland and this is how international organisations and residents usually refer to the country. It is a member of the
European Union, has a
developed economy and a population of slightly more than 4.2 million. The remaining sixth of the island of Ireland is known as
Northern Ireland and is politically an administrative part of the
United Kingdom.
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in
Northern Europe. It shares land borders with two fellow Baltic states –
Estonia to the north and
Lithuania to the south – and both
Russia and
Belarus to the east. In the west, Latvia shares a
maritime border with
Sweden. The capital of Latvia is
Riga. Latvia has been a member state of the
European Union since May 1, 2004. Latvia still has one of the lowest standards of living in the EU, though its economy has one of the highest growth rates.
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in northern Europe. The largest of the three
Baltic States situated along the
Baltic Sea, it shares borders with
Latvia to the north,
Belarus to the southeast,
Poland and the
Russian exclave of the
Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest. Lithuania has been a member state of the
European Union since May 1, 2004. Lithuania joined the
United Nations on September 17, 1991. On May 31, 2001, Lithuania became the 141st member of the
World Trade Organization.
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is a small and densely populated
island nation consisting of an
archipelago of
seven islands in the middle of the
Mediterranean Sea. Malta lies directly south of
Sicily, east of
Tunisia and north of
Libya. The islands constituting the Maltese nation have been ruled by various powers and fought over for centuries. Malta has been a member state of the
European Union since May 1, 2004, and it is currently the smallest EU country in both population and area. Malta is the only nation in the world that has collectively been awarded the
George Cross for conspicuous gallantry, and its
flag bears a replica of that award.
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, located in southwestern
Europe on the
Iberian Peninsula, is the westernmost country of mainland Europe. Portugal is bordered by
Spain to the north and east and by the
Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. The
Atlanticarchipelagos of the
Azores and
Madeira are also part of Portugal. Portugal was one of the world's major economic, political, and cultural powers during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portugal is a member of the
European Union, the
United Nations, and a founding member of the
Eurozone,
OECD, and
NATO.
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a
landlockedrepublic in
Central Europe with a population of over five million. Slovakia borders the
Czech Republic and
Austria in the west,
Poland in the north,
Ukraine in the east and
Hungary in the south. The largest city is its capital,
Bratislava. Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system, and has been a member of the
European Union since May 1, 2004.
The Kingdom of Sweden is a
Nordic country in
Scandinavia. It is bordered by
Norway in the west,
Finland in the northeast, the
Skagerrak Strait and the
Kattegat Strait in the southwest, and the
Baltic Sea and the
Gulf of Bothnia in the east. It is connected to
Denmark in the southwest by the
Oresund Bridge. Its citizens enjoy a high standard of living in a country that is generally perceived as modern and liberal. Sweden joined the
European Union in 1995, however, in a 2003 consultative referendum, Swedish citizens declined to adopt the
Euro.