• ​28 member states.
• The motto is ‘United in Diversity’.
• Originally only contained 6 countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
• The EU has a GDP of €13.5 trillion, whilst India only has a GDP of €1.4 trillion.
• Core countries joined between 1952 and 1995. They have established economies, high levels of development, and sophisticated infrastructure and levels of service.
• Peripheral countries joined between 2007-13. These are former Communist bloc countries with unstable economies, high levels of outmigration, weak economies, less developed infrastructure and lower level of service provision.
• The EU also works on combating pollution and disease by providing cleaner water, more strict farming rules, and improving environmental conditions, among other methods.
• The EU has also become a major trading power, providing 15% of global exports of goods and 20% of services. This is larger than the US (11% of goods and 18% of services).
• The EU also provides over half of all development aid throughout the world

• This is an EU policy which allows for the freedom of goods, people, capital and services throughout EU member countries.
• It has led to significant reductions in prices of products and services, and migration throughout Europe.

• No police or customs checks between EU countries at borders.
• Police co-operation between countries.
• Buy and bring back goods for personal use between EU countries.
• International border control strengthened for inter-nation borders with non EU-members.

This was set up in 1962. Its basic aims were:

• Create a single market in which agricultural products could move freely.
• Make the EC (previous name) more self sufficient by giving preferences to EC products and restricting imports from elsewhere.
• Giving financial support to EC farmers which included guaranteed prices (SUBSIDES) and therefore a guaranteed market.
• Increase the average field size, farm size, and farmer’s income.
• Taxes imposed on foreign imports so that prices cannot be undercut.

Supporters of the CAP say that it guarantees the survival of rural communities, where more than half of EU citizens live, and preserves the appearance of the countryside.
Critics say that as only 5% of EU citizens work in agriculture, which only generates 1.6% of GDP, the CAP costs too much.

• Most Europeans live in urban areas because they are centres of economic activity and hold greater opportunities.
• However, all cities have concentrations of social, environmental and economic problems.
• Urban II Fund money comes from the European Regional Development Fund and it is for sustainable development in troubled districts of European cities.
• It aims to provide economic and social regeneration.
• Any successful idea in one city is shared with others to try and improve living conditions as widely as possible.
• Social and economic regeneration includes:
  • Improving living conditions (e.g. renovating older buildings)
  • Creating new jobs in services that benefit the whole population
  • Integrating less favoured groups of people into education and training so that they can find satisfactory employment.
  • Developing environmentally friendly transport systems.
  • Making greater use of renewable energy.
  • Using the most up-to-date ICT systems to make work more efficient and to improve people’s skills and their job prospects.
• For example: The town of Teruel in northern Spain has a new ring road, paid for by Urban II Funds. It will reduce traffic flows through the town by at least 20%, cutting congestion and improving travel times and air quality in the town. The new road also links previously isolated neighbourhoods. There are paths for cyclists and joggers. The project cost €16.6 million.