How the EU began

The European Union grew out of a desire for peace in a war-torn and divided continent.
Five years after World War II ended, France and Germany came up with a plan to
ensure their two countries would never go to war against each other again. The result
was a deal signed by six nations to pool their coal and steel resources in 1950.

Seven years later a treaty signed in Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC)
- the foundations of today's European Union. The UK was one of three new members to join
in the first wave of expansion in 1973. Today the EU has 28 member states with a total
population of more than 500 million.
The EU has grown steadily from its six founding members to 28 countries. Belgium,
France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed up to the EEC, or
Common Market in 1957. Britain, Ireland and Denmark joined in the first wave of
expansion in 1973, followed by Greece in 1981 and Portugal and Spain five years
later. Eastern Germany joined after unification and Austria, Finland and Sweden
became part of the EU in 1995. The biggest enlargement came in 2004 when 10 new
member countries joined. Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007 and Croatia was
latest to sign up in 2013.
Symbols
The Flag of Europe, or European Flag. It consists of a circle of twelve five-pointed yellow
(or) stars on a blue (azure)field.
Europe Day held on 9 May every year celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The
date marks the anniversary of the historical 'Schuman declaration'. At a speech in
Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the then French foreign minister, set out his idea
for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between
Europe's nations unthinkable.
"Anthem of Europe" is the anthem of the Council of Europe and the European Union.[1][2] It is
based on "Ode to Joy" from the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

The euro (sign: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of the European Union. Currently 19 of
28 member states use euro (eurozone).
Statistics on the EU
Suprafata-populatie-limbi vb
ERASMUS The Erasmus Programme (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility
of University Students[1]) is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme established in
1987.[2][3] Erasmus+, or Erasmus Plus, is the new programme combining all the EU's current
schemes for education, training, youth and sport, which was started in January 2014.