Practical Law UK Glossary 6-107-6562 (Approx. 5 pages)
Glossary
European Union (EU)
An economic and political confederation of European nations which share a common foreign and security policy and co-operate on justice and home affairs. The EU was created on 1 November 1993 by the Treaty on European Union (formerly known as the Maastricht Treaty). Following amendments made by the Lisbon Treaty, the EU now has a single legal personality allowing it to enter into international agreements. From 1 December 2009, the EU replaces and succeeds the European Community (EC).
The 27 member states of the EU are currently: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.