They protect consumers from goods that could be dangerous or bad for their health and protect animals and the environment against plant and animal diseases. They also contribute to the fight against organised crime and terrorism and make sure European treasures are not smuggled out. The customs services also prevent illegal exports of waste, since protecting the environment is one of their key tasks. For businesses, the customs union means that regardless of where goods enter the EU the same rules apply, and once the goods have cleared customs they can circulate freely or be sold anywhere within the EU customs territory.
In , for example, almost million customs declarations were handled by more than 2 EU customs offices working days a year. The EU promotes poverty eradication, human development, sustainable growth and good governance. It does this by creating partnerships to address global challenges such as climate change, natural resources depletion and irregular migration. The EU upholds effective multilateralism and works with all stakeholders, since current challenges call for more multilateral governance and rules-based international cooperation.
The EU sees international partnerships as an investment in a viable, sustainable and shared future. The EU structures its external action around:. The EU is also is leading the charge to make safe and effective vaccines accessible to all. The EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy focuses on protecting and empowering individuals, building resilient, inclusive and democratic societies and promoting human rights worldwide.
The EU encourages stable democracies and economies in neighbouring countries by building tailor-made partnerships based on shared interests and cooperation at bilateral or regional level. In addition, in the Southern Neighbourhood the EU works alongside its partners to resolve crises such as in Syria or Libya , and to regulate migration flows. The prospect of EU membership is a powerful stimulus for democratic and economic reforms in European countries that want to join the EU.
It helps to foster reconciliation and stability. A European country can only become an EU Member State if it meets democratic standards including the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities ; has a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with competition and market forces in the EU; and can take on the responsibilities of EU membership. The European Union has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the eastern Mediterranean and in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey.
The EU has provided emergency response, supported research, health and water systems and addressed the economic and social consequences of the pandemic. The EU champions free trade. The EU fights for open, rules-based markets, a level playing field and the highest international standards across the world.
The EU negotiates and agrees international trade agreements on behalf of its Member States. In February , the European Commission presented a new EU trade strategy , which sets out three main objectives. At the heart of the strategy is a commitment to reforming the World Trade Organization so that it is better able to respond to the challenges of modern trade. Trade policy can play an important role in combating climate change and environmental degradation. Therefore the EU will improve the implementation and enforcement of sustainable development chapters in its trade agreements.
Specifically, the EU will propose to make respect for the Paris Climate Agreement an essential element in future trade and investment agreements. The EU stands for open and fair trade and fights against protectionism. It strikes a balance between being open and ensuring that that people and companies are defended against unfair trade practices. With the newly appointed Chief Trade Enforcement Officer , the EU is putting a specific focus on maximising the benefits of trade agreements for companies, in particular SMEs and farmers, and on ensuring that its trade partners honour their commitments, including on sustainable development.
The EU has 46 trade agreements in force with 78 partners around the world. In , the EU reached a new agreement on trade with Mexico , and its trade deal with Vietnam entered into force. The EU provides relief assistance to the people affected by crises. The EU is a leading humanitarian donor in many crises, including the following. The EU sends teams to help out in many crises within the EU and across the globe through its Civil Protection Mechanism , for example:. The follow-up on security and defence has been particularly swift, with the adoption of a wide-ranging EU security and defence package in to see Europe take more responsibility for these areas.
The global strategy set the following five priorities for EU action:. The EU supports countries facing conflict and crisis. In there were 16 ongoing civilian missions and military operations on three continents. Deployment decisions are made jointly by national ministers from EU countries.
The European Defence Fund launched in coordinates, supplements and amplifies national investments in defence so as to increase outputs and develop defence technology and equipment to meet current and future security needs. The EU is not simply a single market for goods and services.
Europeans share values that are spelled out in the EU treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights , which guarantee rights to EU citizens any person who holds the nationality of an EU country is automatically also an EU citizen. The EU also makes life easier for Europeans who study, work or get married in other EU countries by building bridges between the different national legal systems across the EU.
A borderless and seamless common justice area will ensure that citizens can rely on a set of rights and can access justice throughout the continent.
This is especially important in civil cases such as divorce, child custody or maintenance claims. Eurojust facilitates cooperation between national justice authorities to help fight serious crimes such as corruption, terrorism, and drug trafficking and distribution, while the European Arrest Warrant has replaced lengthy extradition procedures to return suspected or convicted criminals back to the country where they will be or have been tried. Digital technologies have never been more important in our lives.
During the COVID crisis, they have kept people connected and businesses working, and have proved essential for education and training. They are also crucial to fighting climate change, including through smart energy and transport systems. The groundwork for the digital transformation has already been laid.
EU action has brought benefits such as:. It focuses on three main objectives: technology that works for people, a fair and competitive economy and an open, democratic and sustainable society. The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive set of rules for online platforms operating in Europe to protect the fundamental rights of citizens online, to address online harms and to foster innovation.
Beyond that, the strategy also covers everything from cybersecurity and data to digital education and democracy. It will also ensure wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society, including through digital innovation hubs. Other programmes will also support the digital transition, including Horizon Europe , which focuses on research and technological development, and the digital aspects of the Connecting Europe Facility.
The EU has the strictest data protection and privacy rules in the world. These help ensure that the online environment is safe and fair for citizens and businesses alike and protect people, in particular children, from illegal and harmful content.
The rapid growth of online services in recent years has brought many benefits for Europeans, but also potential new risks.
This is why the EU is continually working to ensure that its legislation keeps pace with the digital transformation and that what is illegal offline is also illegal online.
The protection of personal data and privacy are fundamental rights in the European Union. The EU has been applying high standards for data protection and privacy for decades. The law gives people rights as regards data protection and confidentiality of communications which must be respected by organisations that process their data. In response to the realities of the internet age, the General Data Protection Regulation GDPR gives individuals enforceable rights , including the right to be forgotten.
In parallel, the EU is leading efforts to make the digital world a secure place. The European Commission is tackling the spread of online disinformation and misinformation to ensure the protection of European values and democratic systems. Companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, have committed to reviewing the majority of these requests in less than 24 hours and to removing the content if necessary.
The safety of children online is paramount. The European strategy for a better internet for children has influenced national policies in most EU Member States and set a global benchmark for the protection and empowerment of children online. The EU-funded network of Safer Internet Centres helps raise awareness of online safety and foster child participation. The Commission has also presented an EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse.
More than 3. The EU has developed a common migration and asylum policy to manage the many challenges generated by migration into the EU, including of people seeking international protection. This policy includes the following actions aimed at dealing with the crisis. The EU also provides humanitarian aid to refugees and migrants in countries outside the EU, and supports work to address the root causes of irregular migration.
The EU also wants to create safe and legal ways for asylum seekers to enter the EU. The EU is working to increase the rate of returns to their home country of irregular migrants with no right to stay in the EU. The EU and Turkey agreed in March that irregular migrants and asylum seekers arriving on the Greek islands from Turkey may be returned to Turkey. For every Syrian returned to Turkey from the Greek islands after an irregular crossing, the EU will take in a Syrian from Turkey who has not sought to make this journey in an irregular way.
This has led to a major decrease in irregular arrivals to the islands. Over lives have been saved in the Aegean and the Mediterranean since thanks to Italian and Greek rescue operations and the work of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, established in The Commission has proposed a deep reform of existing asylum laws in line with current and future needs.
The basic principle will remain the same: people should apply for asylum in the first EU Member State they enter unless they have family elsewhere, but whenever a Member State is overwhelmed, there must be solidarity and a fair sharing of responsibility within the EU. The European Union is working towards establishing a security union, making Europe more secure by fighting terrorism and serious crime and by strengthening Europe's external borders.
The EU offers its citizens an area of freedom, security and justice without internal borders. The overall objective of a security union is to make this area a safer place. The EU and Member States cooperate to tackle terrorism and violent radicalisation, serious and organised crime and cybercrime.
The EU has updated and reinforced its laws, harmonising the definition of terrorist offences and criminalising terrorist travel, training and financing. With the support of the Radicalisation Awareness Network Centre of Excellence , the EU is stepping up efforts to prevent radicalisation and to address the challenge of returning terrorist fighters.
Through the EU Internet Forum, the Commission is facilitating cooperation between key internet companies, law enforcement agencies and civil society to reduce access to illegal content online and provide effective alternative narratives to counter terrorist propaganda.
The Commission also proposed to make it mandatory for internet companies to remove terrorist content from the web within one hour of a removal order from national authorities. In December the European Parliament, the Council and Commission agreed on the Cybersecurity Act, which strengthens the mandate of the EU cybersecurity agency European Union Agency for Network and Information Security so as to better support Members States with tackling cybersecurity threats and attacks.
Thanks to the Schengen Agreement , checks at many EU internal borders have been progressively abolished. The migration crisis and the changing security landscape in recent years have demonstrated that the Schengen area needs strong external borders.
In the EU adopted new rules for the external Schengen borders to reinforce checks on all people, including European citizens, against relevant databases, to make sure that they do not represent a threat to public policy or internal security.
The Commission has proposed to further scale up the Agency by establishing a standing corps of 10 operational staff. The EU helps improve the quality of education by encouraging cooperation between Member States and by complementing national actions. According to a report , in the EU there are still more than 4. EU countries are responsible for their own education and training systems, but the EU helps them achieve quality education through the exchange of good practice, setting targets and benchmarks and providing funding and expertise.
The EU strategy for education and training aims to meet the following objectives:. The EU has set up a number of other initiatives to make it easier for people to study, train or work abroad. European countries, trade unions and employers cooperate to improve vocational and educational training through the Copenhagen process.
One result is the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training and quality assurance network, which help people work and study abroad. The Bologna process and the European Higher Education Area make it easier for people to move between education systems within Europe by promoting mutual recognition of periods of study, comparable qualifications and uniform quality standards.
The Europass set of documents helps workers apply for jobs abroad by presenting their skills and qualifications in a standard Europe-wide format, more easily understood by employers. Through its youth policies and programmes the EU aims to make sure young people can participate fully in all areas of society and to give them more opportunities in education and the job market.
The social inclusion of young people is vital for European society and democratic life. This is particularly relevant as youth unemployment is still significantly high. The EU runs several programmes and initiatives to help young people in Europe to play a more active role in society and benefit from experiencing another country. These include the following in particular. It supports the arts and helps our cultural and creative industries to thrive, specifically through the Creative Europe programme.
EU policy also looks to meet common challenges such as the shift to digital production and content, or how to encourage innovation in the cultural sector. The New European Agenda for Culture contains concrete actions to harness the full potential of culture. Creative Europe also promotes initiatives such as EU prizes for cultural heritage, architecture, literature and music, the European Heritage Label and the European Capitals of Culture. The Commission also coordinates policymaking, research and reporting on a range of topics, from media literacy and digital distribution to cultural heritage preservation or culture in external relations.
Furthermore, it fosters cooperation and peer learning between Member States. The EU also supports the development and distribution of European films and other content, with the goal of promoting cultural diversity. The EU promotes the health benefits and positive values associated with sport, supports cooperation between policymakers and dialogue with sports organisations and tackles problems such as doping, match-fixing and violence.
Sport and exercise are an integral part of life for millions of Europeans. Besides promoting better health and well-being, sport can help tackle issues such as racism, social exclusion and gender inequality. The EU focuses on sport as a means to keep people healthy, create communities, nurture social inclusion and promote equal opportunities.
The latest one for the period defines three priorities: the integrity of sport, the economic dimension of sport, and sport and society. The European Commission works together with Member States and stakeholders to promote the role of sport and to find solutions to problems facing European sport.
The Eurobarometer survey on sport and physical activity shows that EU citizens are not exercising enough. The EU physical activity guidelines and the Council recommendation on promoting health-enhancing physical activity across sectors show how national policies can encourage activity.
The Tartu Call for a Healthy Lifestyle includes a list of 15 actions to promote healthy lifestyles. The EU budget helps to deliver on the things that matter to Europeans. By pooling resources at EU level, Member States can achieve more than they could by acting alone.
The EU budget supports a wide range of policies implemented within the European Union and has helped the EU to consolidate its strong role in the international arena, as a leader in the fight against climate change and as the largest donor of humanitarian and development aid in the world. During the economic and financial crisis, the EU budget proved to be a powerful instrument to support investment.
With national budgets in many Member States under severe strain, the EU budget, and the Structural Funds in particular, emerged from the crisis as a stabilisation factor investing in growth and jobs. The EU agrees long-term budget plans that provide a stable basis for implementing the budget over a period of at least 5 years.
The annual budget is decided democratically. First the European Commission proposes a draft budget. Then the national governments acting through the Council of the European Union and the directly elected European Parliament approve the EU budget, usually before the beginning of the year.
This procedure ensures full accountability and transparency, and when granted, the discharge leads to the formal closure of the accounts for a given year. Corruption and fraud can seriously harm the economy and undermine the trust of citizens in democratic institutions and processes. Institutional corruption, however, is not the only threat. Cigarette smuggling, evasion of import duties on shoes and clothes, receiving subsidies for growing oranges on farms that do not exist — there are many examples of fraud, large and small, that can cost European taxpayers money.
To counter these threats, the European Anti-Fraud Office also known as OLAF investigates fraud, corruption and other illegal activities involving EU funds, along with serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU institutions, and helps the institutions formulate and implement policies to prevent and detect fraud. When a case of suspected corruption or fraud of EU funds is assessed and proved to be substantiated by the European Anti-Fraud Office, an investigation is launched.
These investigations can involve interviews and inspection of premises. After an investigation is concluded, OLAF recommends action to the EU institutions and national governments concerned: this usually includes launching criminal investigations, financial recoveries or other disciplinary measures.
It then monitors how these recommendations are implemented. National customs authorities carry out regular joint customs operations with OLAF and other EU agencies to stop smuggling and fraud in certain high-risk areas and on identified routes. For example, in , joint customs operations financed by the European Anti-Fraud Office led to the seizure of 75 million cigarettes, as well as tens of thousands of other counterfeit products.
The European Union is based on the rule of law. This means that every action taken by the EU is founded on treaties that have been approved voluntarily and democratically by all EU countries.
The treaties are negotiated and agreed by all the EU Member States and then ratified by their parliaments or by a referendum. The treaties lay down the objectives of the European Union and set out the rules on how the EU institutions operate, how decisions are made and the relationship between the EU and its Member States.
They have been amended each time new Member States have joined the EU. The last amending treaty, the Lisbon Treaty, came into force on 1 December Earlier treaties are now incorporated into the current consolidated version, which comprises the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. More recently, the EU agreed upon the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union , an intergovernmental treaty that obliges participating countries to have firm rules to guarantee balanced public budgets and strengthens the governance of the euro area.
The advisory bodies the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions and national parliaments also play a role. Generally it is the European Commission that proposes new laws and the European Parliament and the Council also called the Council of the European Union that adopt them. The Member States and the EU institution or institutions concerned then implement them.
The European Parliament is elected by EU citizens in direct elections held every 5 years. The Parliament meets in both Brussels and Strasbourg. MEPs organise themselves into political groups, and also into committees that examine proposals for new legislation in different policy areas.
More information on the outcome of the European Elections and the forming of the new Parliament can be found on the European Parliament's website.
It represents the highest level of political cooperation between the EU Member States. The European Council takes the form of usually quarterly summit meetings between EU leaders, chaired by the President of the European Council. The President can also convene additional meetings to address urgent issues. The European Council generally decides issues by unanimity, or by qualified majority in some cases. It is also known as the Council of the European Union. In the Council government ministers from each Member State meet to discuss, amend and adopt laws and to coordinate policies.
The ministers have the authority to commit their governments to the actions agreed on in the meetings. The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU Member States every 6 months, and is responsible for chairing all Council meetings and setting the agendas.
The ministers who attend are those that deal with the policy being discussed. For example, environment ministers meet in the Environment Council. The ministers meet several times a year to make decisions relating to the EU, though government officials have meetings all year round to discuss the policy details. However, certain topics like foreign policy and taxation require a unanimous vote all Member States in favour and a simple majority is required for procedural and administrative issues.
The Council is not to be confused with the Council of Europe, which is not a European Union body but an international organisation that was set up to promote democracy and protect human rights and the rule of law in Europe. The European Commission is the main institution that runs the day-to-day business of the EU. It is the only EU institution that can propose legislation often after a request from the European Parliament or the Council , though it is the Parliament and the Council that vote on it.
Once the Commission President is nominated, the Council of the European Union nominates the other 26 Members of the Commission in agreement with the nominated President, and the Members as a single body are then subject to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. Each Commissioner is assigned responsibility for specific policy areas by the President.
The staff of the Commission are the equivalent of the civil service in a Member State, and are organised into departments, known as directorates-general and services, similar to ministries at national level.
The decisions of the Commission are made based on the collective responsibility of the College of Commissioners. All Commissioners are equal in the decision-making process and equally accountable for these decisions. They do not have any individual decision-making powers, except when authorised in certain situations. The Vice-Presidents act on behalf of the President and coordinate work in their area of responsibility, together with several Commissioners. The political guidelines presented by President von der Leyen in July set six headline ambitions for Europe.
In general, decisions are made by consensus, but votes can also take place. In this case, decisions are made by simple majority, with every Commissioner having one vote.
The relevant directorate-general then takes up the subject. This is usually done in the form of draft legislative proposals. In several countries, attitudes toward Germany have soured a bit over the past decade or so.
There have been double-digit declines in positive views since in Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia, Slovakia and France. Assessments of Germany have remained largely unchanged — and overwhelmingly positive — in Poland, Spain, the UK and Ukraine over the last 12 years. The only country that has become more positive toward Germany over the same time frame is Sweden, where favorable views have increased by 8 percentage points.
In six European countries, those with favorable views of a right-wing populist party have less favorable views of Germany. While not a top choice elsewhere, at least half of publics in seven other countries also felt hopeful about their education system. Fellow employment pessimists in Spain and Italy have relatively high unemployment rates of Across the 14 EU member nations in the survey, nations with higher unemployment rates tend to voice more pessimism about their prospects for well-paying jobs.
In most countries, supporters of the current governing party or coalition of their government are more optimistic about their political system than nonsupporters. It organizes the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values.
Even in a polarized era, the survey reveals deep divisions in both partisan coalitions. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics.
Pew Research Center now uses as the last birth year for Millennials in our work. President Michael Dimock explains why. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.
It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Newsletters Donate My Account. Research Topics. Many see benefits to EU membership Among the 14 European Union member nations in the survey, most say joining the EU was a good thing for their country.
Angela Merkel more trusted in world affairs than other European leaders German Chancellor Angela Merkel fares the best among the four leaders asked about in the survey when it comes to public confidence. Views of Germany positive except in Greece Germany, the largest economy in the EU , enjoys favorable reviews from most other European publics surveyed.
Next: 5. Sign up for our Global newsletter Delivered twice a month. How people in Poland see key aspects of their democracy ahead of presidential election. Follow Us. Its capital is Zagreb and the official language in Croatia is Croatian. The political system is a parliamentary republic. Croatia holds 11 seats in the European Parliament and will hold the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in the first half of Croatia is not a member country of the Schengen Area.
Cypriots comprise 0. Its capital is Nicosia and the official language in Cyprus is Greek. The political system is a presidential republic. Cyprus holds 6 seats in the European Parliament and has held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU once in Cyprus is not a member country of the Schengen Area. Czechs comprise 2. Its capital is Prague and the official language is Czech. The Danish comprise 1. Its capital is Copenhagen and the official language in Denmark is Danish.
The political system is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Denmark holds 13 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 7 times between and Denmark is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 25, The Estonians comprise 0.
Its capital is Tallinn and the official language is Estonian. Estonia holds 6 seats in the European Parliament and will hold the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in the first half of Estonia is a member country of the Schengen Area since December 21, The Finnish comprise 1. Its capital is Helsinki and the official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish.
Finland holds 13 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU twice, in and Finland is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 25, The French comprise Its capital is Paris and the official language is French. The political system is a semi-presidential republic. France holds 74 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 13 times between and France is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 26, Its capital is Berlin and the official language is German.
The political system is a federal parliamentary republic. Germany holds 96 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 11 times between and Germany is a member country of the Schengen Area since March 26, Greeks comprise 2. Its capital is Athens and the official language is Greek. Greece holds 21 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 5 times between and Greece is a member country of the Schengen Area since January 1, Hungarians comprise 1.
Its capital is Budapest and the official language is Hungarian. Hungary holds 21 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU once in Hungary is a member country of the Schengen Area since December 21, The Irish comprise 0.
Its capital is Dublin and the official languages in Ireland are Irish and English. Ireland holds 11 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 7 times between and Ireland is not a member country of the Schengen Area. Its capital is Rome and the official language in Italy is Italian. Italy holds 73 seats in the European Parliament and held the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU 12 times between and
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