EU in brief

The European Union consists of 25 democratic states that have come together and committed themselves to working together to promote peace and prosperity. The Member States have conferred some of their powers on the institutions of the European Union, which makes it possible to take democratic decisions that apply to all members.
To date, the Union has undergone five enlargement rounds and grown from a six-member Community to a Union of 25 members. Currently, there are almost 450 million EU citizens.