It's a power point from the Council of Europe about the European Union

1. The European Union:
500 million people – 28 countries
Member states of the European Union
Candidate and potential candidate
countries

2. Founders
New ideas for lasting peace and prosperity…
Konrad Adenauer
Robert Schuman
W inston Churchill
Alcide De Gasperi
Jean Monnet

3. The EU symbols
The European flag
The European anthem
Europe Day, 9 May
The motto: United in diversity

4. 24 official languages
hravatskihravatski
hravatski

5. Enlargement: from six to 28 countries
1952 1973 1981 1986
1990 1995 2004 2007 2013

6. The big enlargement:
healing the division of Europe
Fall of Berlin Wall – end of Communism
EU economic help begins: Phare programme
Criteria set for a country to join the EU:
• democracy and rule of law
• functioning market economy
• ability to implement EU laws
Formal negotiations on enlargement begin
Copenhagen summit agrees enlargement
10 new EU members: Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia
41989
41992
41998
42002
42004
42007 Bulgaria and Romania join the EU
©Reuders
42013 Croatia joins on the 1st of July

7. Candidate and potential candidate countries
Area
(1000 km²)
Population
(million)
Wealth
(gross domestic product
per person)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 51 3.8 7 300
Montenegro 13 0.6 10 500
Iceland 100 0.3 29 500
Kosovo under UN Security
Resolution 1244
11 2.2 :
The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
25 2.1 9 200
Albania 27 3.2 7 300
Serbia 77 7.3 8 400
Turkey 770 73.7 13 600
The 28 EU countries
together
4 290 508 25 700

8. The treaties – basis for democratic cooperation
built on law
1952
The European Steel and Coal 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 of European Union
– Maastricht
1999
Treaty of Amsterdam
2003
Treaty of Nice
2009
Treaty of Lisbon

9. The EU charter of fundamental rights
Binding for all the EU's activities
54 articles under 6 titles:
4 Dignity
4 Freedoms
4 Equality
4 Solidarity
4 Citizens' rights
4 Justice

10. A transparent Union at your service
The website of the European Union
europa.eu
One and a half million documents available to the public
Europe Direct contact centre
Answers your questions:
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
Europe Direct Information Centres
500 EU Info Points across the EU
European Union Documents
Access to internal documents
upon request
The European Ombudsman
Deals with complaints over EU administration
Emily O’Reilly, the EU ombudsman

11. EU population in the world
Population in millions, 2012
508
1343
127 143
314
EU China Japan Russia United States
1205
India

12. The area of the EU compared to the rest
of the world
Surface area, 1 000 km²
EU China Japan Russia United States
16 889
9327 9159
4290
365
India
3287

13. How rich is the EU compared to the rest
of the world?
EU China Japan Russia United States EU China Japan Russia United States
12 600
5 200
4 200
1300
10 800
25 200
5 800
26 300
12 000
37 100
Size of economy: 2011 gross domestic product
in trillion of euros
Wealth per person: 2011 gross domestic product
per person
India India
26001 200

14. How big are the EU countries?
Surface area in 1000 km²
France
Spain
Sweden
Germany
Poland
Finland
Italy
UnitedKingdom
Romania
Greece
Bulgaria
Hungary
Portugal
Austria
CzechRepublic
Ireland
Lithuania
Latvia
Slovakia
Estonia
Denmark
Netherlands
Belgium
Slovenia
Cyprus
Luxemburg
Malta
544
506
410
357
313
305
295
244
230
131
111
93
92
83
77
68
63
62
49
43
43
34
30
20
9
3
0.3
Croatia56

15. How many people live in the EU?
Population in millions, 2012
508 million total
81.8
65.4
63.0
60.8
46.2
38.5
21.4
16.7
11.3
10.5
11.0
10.5
10.0
9.5
8.4
7.3
5.6
5.4
5.4
4.6
3.0
2.0
2.0
1.3
0.9
0.5
0.4
France
Spain
Sweden
Poland
Finland
Italy
UnitedKingdom
Romania
Greece
Bulgaria
Hungary
Portugal
Austria
CzechRepublic
Ireland
Lithuania
Latvia
Slovakia
Estonia
Denmark
Netherlands
Belgium
Slovenia
Cyprus
Luxemburg
Malta
Germany
Croatia4.4

16. GDP per inhabitant: the spread of wealth
Lithuania
2012 GDP per inhabitant
Index where the average of the 28 EU-countries is 100
Luxembourg
Ireland
Netherlands
Austria
Denmark
Belgium
Sweden
Finland
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
EU-28
Cyprus
Greece
Slovenia
Malta
Portugal
Estonia
Hungary
Slovakia
Latvia
Poland
Romania
Bulgaria
UnitedKingdom
CzechRepublic
Croatia

17. Europe 2020 – Europe's growth strategy
EU leaders agreed in 2010 the overall strategy to get out of the
economic crisis by means of:
4Smart growth
Better education, more research, greater use of communication technologies
4Sustainable growth
A resource - efficient, greener and more competitive economy
4Inclusive growth
More and better jobs, investment in skills and training, modernisation of
the labour market and welfare systems, spreading the benefits of growth to
all parts of the EU
4Good economic governance
Better coordination of economic policy

18. The five targets for the EU in 2020
Agreed in the Europe 2020 strategy:
4Employment
75% of 20-64 year-olds to be employed
4Research and innovation
3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in research
4Climate change/energy
Greenhouse gas emissions 20% lower than 1990
20% of energy from renewables
20% increase in energy efficiency
4Education
School drop-out rates below 10%
40% of 30-34–year-olds completing third-level education
4Poverty
20 million fewer people in, or at risk of, poverty and social exclusion

19. Europe's response to the economic crisis
2008: Worldwide financial crisis starts in the United States
Coordinated response from the EU's national governments, the
European Central Bank and the European Commission:
4Commitment to the euro and to financial stability
4New crisis management tools and reforms of rules:
European Stability Mechanism: fund to help extraordinary economic difficulties
EU-wide financial supervisory authorities, new laws for stability of banks
4Better economic governance:
European Semester: annual procedure to coordinate public budgets
Euro+ pact, "Fiscal compact treaty” : mutual commitments to sound public
finances

20. 2014 EU budget: € 142.6 billion
= 1.06% of gross national income
How does the EU spend its money?
Global Europe:
including development aid
6%
Other, administration
6%
Smart and inclusive growth:
jobs, competitiveness,
regional development
45%
Security and citizenship, justice
2%
Sustainable growth –
natural resources:
agriculture, environment
42%

21. Climate change – a global challenge
To stop global warming, EU leaders decided in 2007 to:
4 reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by 20% by 2020 (30% if other developed
countries do likewise)
4 improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020
4 raise the share of renewable energy
to 20% by 2020 (wind, solar, hydro
power, biomass)

22. Energy sources in a changing world
Fuel used in EU in 2010, as share
of total
Oil
35%
Gas
25%
Nuclear
13%Coal
16%
Renewables
10%
39%
84%
62%
100%
53%
OilCoal Gas Nuclear
(uranium)
Renewables All types
of fuel
0%
Share of fuel imported from outside the EU in 2010

23. Research - investing in the knowledge society
Spending on research and development in 2010 (% of GDP)
2.0%
3.0%
1.5%
2.9%
3.4%
EU EU objective
2020
China Japan United States

24. Solidarity in practice: the EU cohesion policy
2007-2013: €347 billion invested for infrastructure, business,
environment and training of workers for less
well-off regions or citizens
4 Regional fund
4 Social fund
4 Cohesion fund
Convergence objective: regions with
GDP per capita under 75% of the EU
average. 81.5% of the funds are
spent on this objective.
Regional competitiveness and
employment objective.

25. The euro – a single currency for Europeans
EU countries using the euro
EU countries not using the euro
Can be used everywhere in the euro area
4Coins: one side with national symbols,
one side common
4Notes: no national side

26. Beating inflation
European Economic and Monetary Union: stable prices
Average annual inflation in the 17 EU-countries that used the euro in 2013
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

27. The single market: freedom of choice
Four freedoms of movement:
4 goods
4 services
4 people
4 capital
©GettyImages
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

28. Free to move
“Schengen”:
4 No police or customs checks at borders between most
EU countries
4 Controls strengthened at EU external borders
4 More cooperation between police from different EU
countries
4 You can buy and bring back any goods for personal use
when you travel between EU countries
©Corbis

29. Going abroad to learn
Every year, more than 400 000 young people
study or pursue personal development in other
European countries with support from EU
programmes:
4 Comenius: school education
4 Erasmus: higher education
4 Leonardo da Vinci: vocational training
4 Grundtvig: adult education
4 Youth in Action: voluntary work and
non-formal education
©GettyImages

30. Improving health and the environment
Pollution knows no borders – joint action needed
EU action has helped bring:
4 Cleaner bathing water
4 Much less acid rain
4 Lead-free petrol
4 Free and safe disposal of old electronic equipment
4 Strict rules on food safety from farm to fork
4 More organic and quality farming
4 More effective health warnings on cigarettes
4 Registration and control of all chemicals (REACH)
©VanParysMedia

31. An area of freedom, security and justice
4 Charter of Fundamental Rights
4 Joint fight against terrorism
4 Police and law-enforcers from
different countries cooperate
4 Coordinated asylum and
immigration policies
4 Civil law cooperation
©EuropeanUnionPoliceMission

32. The EU: an exporter of peace and prosperity
4 World trade rules
4 Common foreign and security
policy
4 Development assistance and
humanitarian aid
EU runs the peacekeeping operations
and the rebuilding of society in
war-torn countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina.

33. The EU – a major trading power
% of global exports,
goods, 2012
Others
55%
EU
15%
United States
11%
Japan
5%
China
14%
% of global exports,
services, 2012
Others
42%
EU
25%
United States
18%
Japan
4%
China
6%
India
5%

34. The EU is the biggest provider of development aid
in the world
Official development assistance per citizen, 2011
€ 110
€ 60
€ 70
EU Japan United States
The EU provides over half of all development aid

35. Three key players
The European Parliament
- voice of the people
Martin Schulz, President of
of the European Parliament
The European Council and the Council
- voice of the Member States
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council
The European Commission
- promoting the common interest
José Manuel Barroso, President
of the European Commission

36. European Parliament
The EU institutions
Court of
Justice
Court of
Auditors
Economic and Social
Committee
Committee of the
Regions
Council of Ministers
(The Council) European Commission
European Investment
Bank
European Central BankAgencies
European Council
(summit)

37. How EU laws are made
Citizens, interest groups, experts: discuss, consult
Commission: makes formal proposal
Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly
Commission and Court of Justice: monitor
implementation
National or local authorities: implement

38. The European elections 2014

39. The European Parliament – voice of the people
4 Decides EU laws and budget together with Council of Ministers
4 Democratic supervision of all the EU’s work
Number of members elected in each country (July 2013)
United Kingdom12
22
74
73
13
Italy
Ireland
22Hungary
Greece
99Germany
France
Finland
6Estonia
13Denmark
22Czech Republic
6Cyprus
12Croatia
19Austria
22Belgium
Total 766
72
20Sweden
54Spain
8Slovenia
13Slovakia
33Romania
22Portugal
51Poland
26Netherlands
6Malta
6Luxembourg
12Lithuania
9Latvia
Bulgaria 18
*
* This figure will be reduced to 751 at the 2014 elections.

40. The European political parties
Greens/European Free Alliance
58
European Conservatives
and Reformists
55
Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe
85
European People’s Party
(Christian Democrats)
275
Non-attached
members 28
Total : 766
Progressive Alliance of
Socialists and Democrats
196
European United
Left - Nordic Green Left
34
Europe of Freedom
and Democracy
35
Number of seats in the European Parliament
per political group
(July 2013)

41. Council of Ministers – voice of the member states
4One minister from each EU country
4Presidency: rotates every six months
4Decides EU laws and budget together
with Parliament
4Manages the common foreign and
security policy

42. Council of Ministers – number of votes per country
352Total:
3Malta
4Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia
7Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland
10Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden
12Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal
13Netherlands
14Romania
27Spain and Poland
29Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom
“Qualified majority” needed for many decisions:
260 votes and a majority of member states
From 2014: 55% of the Member States with 65% of the population

43. Summit at the European Council
Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries
4Held at least 4 times a year
4Sets the overall guidelines for EU policies
4President: Herman Van Rompuy

44. A high representative for foreign affairs and security
Catherine Ashton
Double hat: chairs the Foreign Affairs
Council meetings + Vice-president of
the European Commission
Manages the common foreign and
security policy
Head of European External Action
Service

45. The European Commission – promoting
the common interest
28 independent members,
one from each EU country
4Proposes new legislation
4Executive organ
4Guardian of the treaties
4Represents the EU on the international stage

46. The Court of Justice – upholding the law
28 independent judges,
one from each EU country
4Rules on how to interpret EU law
4Ensures EU countries apply EU laws in the
same way

47. The European Court of Auditors:
getting value for your money
28 independent members
4Checks that EU funds are used
properly
4Can audit any person or organisation
dealing with EU funds

48. 4Ensures price stability
4Controls money supply and decides interest rates
4Works independently from governments
The European Central Bank:
managing the euro
Mario Draghi
President of the Central Bank

49. The European Economic and Social Committee:
voice of civil society
353 members
4Represents trade unions, employers,
farmers, consumers etc
4Advises on new EU laws and policies
4Promotes the involvement of
civil society in EU matters

50. The Committee of the Regions:
voice of local government
353 members
4Represents cities, regions
4Advises on new EU laws and policies
4Promotes the involvement of local
government in EU matters

51. Civil servants working for the EU
4Permanent civil servants
4Selected by open competitions
4Come from all EU countries
4Salaries decided by law
4EU administration costs €15 per EU citizen per year
4EU staff will be reduced by 5% between 2013-17
Commission employs about 23 000 permanent civil
servants and 11 000 temporary or contract workers
Other EU institutions: about 10 000 employed