How Many Countries Are In the EU?

Representative from across the EU converge in the European Parliament.
Representative from across the EU converge in the European Parliament.

The European Union, also referred to as the EU or the European Community, is a socioeconomic and geopolitical alliance between various European states. To some degree, the EU allows for conducting of business affairs and movement of people between member states as if they were merely doing business or traveling between one part of the same country and another. The current EU is the effective result of a number of multilateral trade, customs, and other treaties between various European states between the end of the Second World War and the present time.

In 1957 six core states founded the European Economic Community the predecessor of the European Union (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. The remaining states have acceded in subsequent enlargements. On July 1st, 2013, Croatia became the newest member state of the EU. In order to accede, a state must fulfill the economic and political requirements which require a candidate to have a democratic, free market government, together with the corresponding freedoms and institutions, and respect for the rule of law.

Listed below are countries that are part of the European Union as of June of 2016, and the date which they joined. The United Kingdom joined the European Community in January of 1973, but voted by way of a June 23rd, 2016 nationwide referendum to leave the European Union.

What Countries Are In The European Union (EU)?

RankEuropean Union MembersDate Joined
1AustriaJanuary of 1995
2BelgiumFounder (1958 Treaty of Rome and 1993 Treaty of Maastricht)
3BulgariaJanuary of 2007
4CroatiaJuly of 2013
5CyprusMay of 2004
6Czech RepublicMay of 2004
7DenmarkJanuary of 1973
8EstoniaMay of 2004
9FinlandJanuary of 1995
10FranceFounder (1958 Treaty of Rome and 1993 Treaty of Maastricht)
11GermanyFounder (1958 Treaty of Rome, as West Germany)
12GreeceJanuary of 1981
13HungaryMay of 2004
14IrelandJanuary of 1973
15ItalyFounder (1958 Treaty of Rome and 1993 Treaty of Maastricht)
16LatviaMay of 2004
17LithuaniaMay of 2004
18LuxembourgFounder (1958 Treaty of Rome and 1993 Treaty of Maastricht)
19MaltaMay of 2004
20NetherlandsFounder (1958 Treaty of Rome and 1993 Treaty of Maastricht)
21PolandMay of 2004
22PortugalJanuary of 1986
23RomaniaJanuary of 2007
24SlovakiaMay of 2004
25SloveniaMay of 2004
26SpainJanuary of 1986
27
28
Sweden
United Kingdom
January of 1995
January of 1973
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