The following article is a part of a series of brief country profiles for the EU-28 ahead of the European elections in May. The Czech Republic, shortened to Czechia since 2016, was the second most developed country (after Slovenia) of the eight Central...
Hungary became part of the EU during the 2004 “big bang” enlargement. The country is also part of the Visegrád Group, a cultural and political alliance, together with fellow EU states Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The following article is a part of a series of brief country profiles for the EU-28 ahead of the European elections in May. Following an emphatic referendum result which saw 81.3% voting in favour of membership, Ireland joined the EU (then the...
Greece was the first southeast European country that joined the EU (then EEC) in 1981, and the poorest one to have joined by then. While the European Commission suggested a ten-year pre-accession period at the time, other member states overruled it for geopolitical reasons.
France spearheaded the European Project with its proposal for a European Coal and Steel Community in 1950, and its centrality to the project remains undiminished, with the French playing a key role in the creation of the eurozone in 1999.
Italy was a founding member of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1952, which paved the way for the EU. It joined the Schengen in 1997 and eurozone in 1999, despite not meeting the euro convergence criteria, and its economic performance has remained a source of concern.
Portugal joined the EU, together with its neighbour Spain, in 1986, and has been part of the Schengen (1995) and eurozone (1999) areas since their creation.
Spain joined the EU in 1986, and has since then subscribed to each EU treaty, including ratifying in referendum of the Constitutional Treaty in 2005. With a population of circa 46,5 million people, it is the 4th largest of the EU, representing 10.4% of all EU citizens (after Brexit).
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