25 Facts About The EU

1. The EU remains an important international actor as it addresses these internal and external challenges.

2. The EU began developing an autonomous military "rapid reaction force", for use in a variety of situations.

3. The EU is a fascinating experiment in new ways of organizing power, sovereignty, and citizenship.

4. The EU made it clear that in both cases progress in the negotiations would depend upon the countries' full cooperation with the ICTY.

5. The EU created a new kind of association agreement for the countries of Central Europe.

6. The EU has provided significant economic assistance to these new emerging democracies and has eased access to its markets for them.

7. The EU has 15 members and four major institutions (the Commission, Council of Ministers, European Parliament, and Court of Justice).

8. The EU is a net recipient of FDI from Japan, receiving $81 billion in 2003.

9. The EU has large trade deficits in raw materials and energy, and a small deficit in food and drink.

10. The EU is a major exporter of chemicals, transport equipment, and industrial machinery.

11. The EU approved the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to reduce the production of socalled greenhouse gases in order to arrest global warming.

12. The EU represents about a quarter of the global economy, roughly equal to that of the United States.

13. The EU was and largely remains an economic venture aiming to present to the world a single, large market.

14. The EU will review Turkey's application again in 2004, if the nation furnishes evidence that it has met EU demands to improve human rights and maintain a stable democratic government.

15. The EU denied Turkey's application to join the organization, despite the nation's numerous economic and trade associations with Europe.

16. The EU opted for incremental reforms over a new constitution in 2007, when member nations signed the Lisbon Treaty.

17. The EU is the largest trading, scientific, and research partner with Israel, and provides the greatest amount of aid to the Palestinians and United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

18. The EU participates in numerous diplomatic and humanitarian assistance efforts to ensure the success of the roadmap to peace.

19. The EU is comprised of twenty-five member-states with around 460 million citizens.

20. The EU was created in 1993 with the signing of the Treaty on European Union, commonly referred to as the Maastricht Treaty, but it was preceded by various European organizations that contributed to the development of the EU.

21. The EU helps its member countries with issues such as trade, security, and the rights of citizens.

22. The EU has adopted an emissions trading system to incorporate carbon emissions into the economy.

23. The EU operates the Schengen Information System which provides a common database for police and immigration authorities.

24. The EU promoted human rights issues in the wider world.

25. The EU has legal personality, with the right to sign agreements and international treaties.