All about the European Union and the European Parliament

The flag of Europe flies in front of the European Parliament in Brussels. Credit: Adobe Stock.

Most countries in Europe (27 of 44) are members of the European Union (EU). The EU is a political and economic union for the continent of Europe, covering most of the continent with a population of over 449 million people, or 5.5% of the global population.

However, the EU is not a country, rather it is a union of countries which

It has existed in some form since

The EU was first seriously proposed in the aftermath of World War 2 by former British prime minister Winston Churchill, who called for the creation of a "

As of 2025, the EU's member states include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.