Info point: The European Union Austria is an EU member. Do you think Austrians are generally well-informed about the EU? How about you? Do the quiz on p. 166 to test your EU knowledge. Read the article about the European Union below, then decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F). 22 a b c The European Union The EU is an economic and political union whose origins go back to after World War Two. Originally a purely economic union of six countries, the EU was established under its current name in 1993 by the Treaty of Maastricht. It reached its largest size of 28 members when Croatia joined on 1 July 2013. This was reduced to 27 on 31 January 2020, when the United Kingdom left and officially became a third country to the EU. The most important institutions of the EU are the European Commission, the EU Council, the Court of Justice, the European Central Bank and the European Parliament, which is elected every five years. By introducing a body of laws (the ‘acquis communautaire’1) that applies in all member countries, the EU has developed a single market; this means that border and customs controls have been eliminated, which benefits both consumers and businesses. The single market is supported by common policies on trade and agriculture as well as regional development. The ‘four freedoms’ (free movement of people, goods, services, and capital) have become a cornerstone of EU legislation. Some barriers still exist, as for example national regulations concerning the right to practise certain professions. The Eurozone, which was established in 1999, is a monetary union of 19 states. The common currency is the Euro. Together with British Pounds, US Dollars, Japanese Yen and Swiss Francs, it is a world currency, which means it is accepted for trade all over the world. The political nature of the Union expresses itself through its common foreign and security policy. The EU is trying to speak with one voice in matters of foreign relations and defence. Around the world, permanent diplomatic missions have been opened. These EU missions work separately from the missions of the member states. In addition, there are EU representations in each of the member states. Passport controls have been abolished within the Schengen Area, which includes 22 EU and 4 non-EU countries. The EU is a member of the UN, the WTO and the G20. Its population is over 447 million, which is slightly more than 9.7% of the world population. The EU has been affected by various crises, like the economic crisis in 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The future will show if the member states, some of which have widely diverging economies and interests, will be able to weather the storm together to continue the European project that has brought an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity in Europe. 1 Acquis communautaire: the accumulated legislation, legal acts, and court decisions constituting European Union law 0 400 800 1200 km EU Schengen countries non-EU Schengen countries non-Schengen EU countries Schengen border national border IRELAND ICELAND SPAIN MALTA GREECE GERMANY POLAND NORWAY SWEDEN FINLAND EST. LAT. DENMARK BEL. LUX. NETH. L. ANDORRA MONACO HUNGARY ROMANIA BULGARIA CROATIA AUSTRIA CZECHIA SLOVAKIA SLO. SWITZ. PORTUGAL FRANCE LITH. ITALY SAN MARINO VATICAN CITY BEL. BELGIUM EST. ESTONIA LAT. LATVIA L. LIECHTENSTEIN LITH. LITHUANIA LUX. LUXEMBOURG MOL. MOLDAVIA NETH. NETHERLANDS SLO. SLOVENIA SWITZ. SWITZERLAND TUR. TURKEY T F 1 The European Union is a pre-war organisation. 2 Only companies profit from the common European market. 3 The single market has been implemented with a few exceptions. 4 If you travel from one Schengen country to another, you don’t have to show your passport. 5 All the EU member states have similar economies. 118 Language skills Extras Explore 9 Living and working together Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigent m des Verlags öbv
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