50 Fun Facts About European Union

How many member states does the European Union have?

There were 28 until the United Kingdom left in 2020; ten more countries are aspiring or negotiating to join.

The treaty that formally established the European Union in 1993 is named after which Dutch city?

It also created EU citizenship and renamed the EEC the European Community.

The 1957 Treaty of Rome created which body, the direct forerunner of today's EU?

The same six countries signed a second pact that day creating Euratom for nuclear cooperation.

Which of these was NOT one of the six founding states of the 1957 Treaty of Rome?

Denmark joined in 1973 alongside Ireland and the United Kingdom, in the first enlargement.

On which date was the Schuman Declaration made, now marked as Europe Day?

French foreign minister Robert Schuman spoke the day after the fifth anniversary of VE Day.

The 1952 Treaty of Paris pooled which two industries, judged essential for waging war?

The founders reasoned that tying these industries together would make war between France and Germany far less likely.

Which Frenchman from a cognac-merchant family, never elected to office, is called 'the Father of Europe'?

His remains were moved to the Pantheon in Paris on the centenary of his birth in 1988.

The 1967 Merger Treaty combined the institutions of the ECSC, EEC and Euratom under what collective name?

Jean Rey presided over the first merged Commission.

Which three countries joined in the first enlargement of 1973?

Denmark's membership included Greenland, which later voted its way back out.

Which country joined in 1981, five years before Spain and Portugal?

Austria, Finland and Sweden followed in 1995.

Which territory left the European club in 1985 after a dispute over fishing rights?

Some 53% of Greenlanders had voted to withdraw in a 1982 referendum, made possible by home rule in 1979.

What was the biggest single enlargement in EU history?

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia all joined at once.

Which country became the 28th EU member state when it joined in July 2013?

Bulgaria and Romania had joined together in 2007.

The conditions a country must meet to join the EU are named after which city's 1993 summit?

They require a stable democracy, the rule of law, a functioning market economy and acceptance of the acquis communautaire.

Which African country's 1987 application to join was rejected because it was not considered European?

Turkey applied the same year and was recognised as a candidate in 1999.

Which Frenchman led the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, driving the single market?

He is credited with the 'four freedoms': free movement of goods, capital, services and workers.

What percentage of UK voters chose to leave the EU in the June 2016 referendum?

Every region of England and Wales except Greater London voted Leave; Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar voted Remain.

On what date did the United Kingdom formally leave the European Union?

A transition period during which most EU law still applied ran until the end of that year.

Which numbered clause of the Treaty on European Union sets out how a member state may leave?

Theresa May's government triggered it on 29 March 2017, starting a two-year clock that was extended several times.

The EU treaty in force from December 2009 that created a permanent European Council president is named after which city?

It salvaged reforms from the abandoned European Constitution, and only passed after Irish voters said no in 2008 and yes in 2009.

The Danes initially rejected the 1992 treaty creating the EU in a referendum by what margin?

Denmark then secured an opt-out from the single currency and voted again.

In which year did the euro launch as an accounting currency on the financial markets?

It replaced the ECU one-for-one; physical notes and coins arrived three years later.

On what date did euro banknotes and coins enter circulation?

Within three months the twelve original members' national currencies had been fully replaced.

Who designed the common sides of the euro coins?

The Belgian's map on the coins originally showed only the fifteen member states of 2002.

The euro banknotes, designed by Austrian Robert Kalina, show which two architectural features?

His original bridges were real ones such as the Rialto and had to be made generic.

The euro sign is a stylised version of which letter, crossed by two lines?

The Commission unveiled it on 12 December 1996, chosen from an original field of 30 designs.

Which banknote was dropped from the second 'Europa' series of the single currency in 2019?

Existing 500-euro notes remain legal tender across the euro area.

Where is the European Central Bank based?

Its first president was the Dutchman Wim Duisenberg; Christine Lagarde holds the post today.

Where is the official seat of the European Parliament, where plenary sessions are held four days a month?

France secured the arrangement at the 1992 Edinburgh summit; committees meet mostly in Brussels.

In which year was the European Parliament first directly elected by citizens?

Elections have been held every five years since; the 2024 vote returned 720 MEPs.

Where does the Court of Justice of the European Union sit?

It occupies the Kirchberg district and works in French.

Who was elected president of the European Commission in 2019 and re-elected for 2024-2029?

The Commission president is proposed by the European Council and elected by the Parliament.

The Schengen Agreement of 1985 was signed in the village of Schengen, in which country?

Only five states signed at first, because consensus could not be reached among all EEC members.

Which two EU member states were still outside the Schengen Area at the start of 2026?

Ireland keeps its opt-out to preserve the Common Travel Area with the UK; Cyprus had applied to join.

How many stars appear on the European flag?

The number never changes with membership; twelve was chosen as a symbol of perfection and entirety.

Which organisation originally designed and adopted the twelve-star flag in 1955?

The European Communities did not adopt it as their own until 1986.

The EU anthem is an instrumental arrangement of the 'Ode to Joy' from which composer's Ninth Symphony?

Schiller's 1785 poem supplied the original words, but the anthem is deliberately wordless.

What is the motto of the European Union, adopted in 2000 from proposals by school pupils?

In Latin it is 'In varietate concordia'.

How many official languages does the EU have?

Luxembourgish and Turkish are the only two national languages of member states that are not official EU languages.

The student exchange programme launched in 1987, now Erasmus+, was originally an acronym for what?

The idea was first pushed in the 1960s by the Italian educator Sofia Corradi.

Which honour was awarded to the EU as a whole in 2012?

The citation praised its contribution to peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

The EU's own satellite navigation system, live since 2016, is named after which scientist?

Copernicus is the name of the EU's Earth-observation programme; Galileo gives Europe independence from GPS and GLONASS.

Which country displaced the United States as the EU's largest trading partner in 2020?

The EU as a whole is the world's largest exporter.

Which country's voters rejected the 2007 reform treaty in June 2008 before approving it in 2009?

France and the Netherlands had earlier voted down the proposed European Constitution, which Lisbon replaced.

Which country negotiated to join alongside Denmark, Ireland and the UK in 1973 but was stopped by its own voters?

Norwegians rejected membership in a referendum, and the country later withdrew a fresh application; it remains linked to the EU through the EEA.

How many countries held official EU candidate status at the start of 2026?

They were Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine, with Kosovo a potential candidate.

What is the highest peak in the European Union?

At 4,810 metres it towers over the EU's lowest points, Lammefjorden in Denmark and Zuidplaspolder in the Netherlands, both 7 metres below sea level.

In which city was the European Court of Auditors established in 1975?

It has one member from each of the 27 states, backed by around 800 civil servants, and exists to improve the EU's financial management.

The EU Agency for the Space Programme, set up in 2021, is headquartered in which capital?

It manages the EU Space Programme, including Galileo, whose ground operations centres are in Fucino, Italy, and Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.

The Common Agricultural Policy's share of the EEC budget fell from 73% in 1985 to roughly what by 2017?

Introduced in 1962, the CAP has been repeatedly reformed to cut costs and add rural development, though it remains criticised for its price and environmental impact.