Every year on November 1, European nations celebrate the birthday of the European Union. The formation of the European Union took place on February 7, 1992 after the conclusion of the Maastricht Treaty. However, the treaty officially came into force only on November 1, 1993. It is known that Victor Hugo was one of the first to announce the idea of uniting the countries on equal terms in 1851.
European Union is a political and economic union of 27 democratic countries of Europe for the sake of prosperity, peace and development. The Union has in common: currency (euro), dynamic free market, security policy and foreign policy, common values and standards. The member states of the union actively cooperate with each other in various fields. The EU is a very reliable partner for all countries on the planet.
In 2012, the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its significant contribution to the development of peace and democracy in Europe.
Interesting Facts
The founding states of the European Union: Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the reason for their more than 60-year term of membership in this organization.
According to the territorial nature, the EU includes countries not only from the Central and Western parts of Europe. It also includes territories from the Indian Ocean basin, the Caribbean Sea and the American continent, for example, Guadeloupe.
The number of people living on the territory of the Union is more than 500 million people. The largest population – 82 million – lives in Germany, the smallest in Malta – 400 thousand people. Of the total population, 75% live in cities, and these numbers are growing.
The monetary unit of the EU is the euro, it is official in 19 countries of the Union and will become official in another seven countries in the near future. Denmark is part of the EU, but has not changed its national currency and does not plan to change it. There are also countries that are not members of the union, but have switched to the euro.
According to regulations, jams and jams can only be made from fruit for sale in EU countries. But some of the products of the participating countries, which according to the recipe require the addition of vegetables, turned out to be too tasty to refuse them. Yes, EU food standards recognize carrots, tomatoes and rhubarb as fruits.
