What is the European Union?

Since 1 May 2004, the European Union (EU) consists of 25 member states and 454 Million inhabitants. The new member states are: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Cypris, Poland, Slowakia, Slowenia, Hungary and Czech Republic. Other applicants are Bulgaria and Romania. Negotiations with Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey have just started.

The EU is unique. It is the worldwide greatest economic power and counts the most consumers before USA and Japan.

Its member states still keep national sovereignty but give also part of it to the EU in order to become a stable world influence they can only gain in this kind of cooperation.

Within specific spheres, the member states work together ( for instance in health or environmental affairs). In other fields, like in education, each state keeps its own decision-making power.

This means the member states need common shared institutions, so that their interests can be made on a European level and in a demoratic way.