The 27 member countries of the European Union

The EU currently has 27 member countries, which have transferred some of their sovereignty – or lawmaking authority – to the EU. Three more countries have applied for EU membership: Croatia, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

European countries
EU countries, candidates for membership and other European countries

Maps of Europe
Regional and country maps of the EU member states and candidate countries

The road to EU membership
Recent news on the expanding EU

Enlargement – how does it work?
Requirements and procedures for becoming an EU member

Europe’s languages
Languages, language policy and language learning in the EU

Hear how EU languages sound
Listen to examples spoken by interpreters from the EU institutions

Interactive enlargement map
Shows how the EU has expanded since 1952