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Fact Sheets on the European Union

  • Introduction
  • How the European Union works
  • Citizens’ Europe
  • The internal market
  • Economic and monetary union
  • Sectoral policies
  • The EU’s external relations
  • Contents (index)
  • 1. How the European Union works
    • 1.1. Historical development of European integration
      • 1.1.1. The first Treaties
      • 1.1.2. Developments up to the Single European Act
      • 1.1.3. The Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties
      • 1.1.4. The Treaty of Nice and the Convention on the Future of Europe
      • 1.1.5. The Treaty of Lisbon
      • 1.1.6. The Charter of Fundamental Rights
    • 1.2. Main characteristics of the European Union’s legal system
      • 1.2.1. Sources and scope of European Union law
      • 1.2.2. The principle of subsidiarity
    • 1.3. European Union institutions and bodies
      • 1.3.1. The European Parliament: historical background
      • 1.3.2. The European Parliament: powers
      • 1.3.3. The European Parliament: organisation and operation
      • 1.3.4. The European Parliament: electoral procedures
      • 1.3.5. The European Parliament: relations with the national parliaments
      • 1.3.6. The European Council
      • 1.3.7. The Council of the European Union
      • 1.3.8. The European Commission
      • 1.3.9. The Court of Justice of the European Union
      • 1.3.10. Competences of the Court of Justice of the European Union
      • 1.3.11. The European Central Bank (ECB)
      • 1.3.12. The Court of Auditors
      • 1.3.13. The European Economic and Social Committee
      • 1.3.14. The Committee of the Regions
      • 1.3.15. The European Investment Bank
      • 1.3.16. The European Ombudsman
    • 1.4. Decision-making procedures
      • 1.4.1. Supranational decision-making procedures
      • 1.4.2. Intergovernmental decision-making procedures
      • 1.4.3. The budgetary procedure
    • 1.5. Financing
      • 1.5.1. The Union’s revenue
      • 1.5.2. The Union’s expenditure
      • 1.5.3. Multiannual Financial Framework
      • 1.5.4. Implementation of the budget
      • 1.5.5. Budgetary control
      • 1.5.6. Combating fraud and protecting the EU’s financial interests
  • 2. Citizens’ Europe
    • 2.1. Individual and collective rights
      • 2.1.1. The citizens of the Union and their rights
      • 2.1.2. Respect for fundamental rights in the Union
      • 2.1.3. Free movement of persons
      • 2.1.4. The right of petition
      • 2.1.5. European Citizens’ Initiative
  • 3. The internal market
    • 3.1. The internal market: framework
      • 3.1.1. The internal market: general principles
      • 3.1.2. Free movement of goods
      • 3.1.3. Free movement of workers
      • 3.1.4. Freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services
      • 3.1.5. The mutual recognition of diplomas
      • 3.1.6. Free movement of capital
    • 3.2. Implementation
      • 3.2.1. Competition policy
      • 3.2.2. Public procurement contracts
      • 3.2.3. European company law
      • 3.2.4. Intellectual, industrial and commercial property
      • 3.2.5. European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS)
      • 3.2.6. Financial services: major legislative proposals
  • 4. Economic and monetary union
    • 4.1. Context
      • 4.1.1. History of economic and monetary union
      • 4.1.2. The institutions of economic and monetary union
      • 4.1.3. European monetary policy
      • 4.1.4. Economic governance
    • 4.2. Coordination and surveillance of economic policies
      • 4.2.1. The EU framework for fiscal policies
      • 4.2.2. Macroeconomic surveillance
      • 4.2.3. Financial assistance to EU Member States
      • 4.2.4. Banking Union
  • 5. Sectoral policies
    • 5.1. Regional and cohesion policy
      • 5.1.1. Economic, social and territorial cohesion
      • 5.1.2. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
      • 5.1.3. Cohesion Fund
      • 5.1.4. The Solidarity Fund
      • 5.1.5. Support from the European Regional Development Fund for European Territorial Cooperation
      • 5.1.6. Common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS)
      • 5.1.7. The outermost regions (ORs)
      • 5.1.8. Regional state aid
      • 5.1.9. Northern Ireland PEACE programme
      • 5.1.10. European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC)
    • 5.2. The common agricultural policy (CAP)
      • 5.2.1. The common agricultural policy (CAP) and the Treaty
      • 5.2.2. Financing of the CAP
      • 5.2.3. CAP instruments and reforms made to them
      • 5.2.4. First pillar of the CAP: I — Common organisation of the markets (CMO) in agricultural products
      • 5.2.5. First pillar of the CAP: II — Direct payments to farmers
      • 5.2.6. Second pillar of the CAP: Rural development policy
      • 5.2.7. WTO Agreement on Agriculture
      • 5.2.8. The Doha round and agriculture
      • 5.2.9. The common agricultural policy after 2013
      • 5.2.10. The common agricultural policy in figures
      • 5.2.11. The European Union and forests
    • 5.3. Common fisheries policy
      • 5.3.1. The common fisheries policy: origins and development
      • 5.3.2. Fisheries resource conservation
      • 5.3.3. Fisheries control and enforcement
      • 5.3.4. Fisheries structural assistance
      • 5.3.5. Producer organisations and the common market organisation in fisheries products
      • 5.3.6. International fisheries relations
      • 5.3.7. European aquaculture
      • 5.3.8. Integrated maritime policy
      • 5.3.9. European fisheries in figures
    • 5.4. Environment policy
      • 5.4.1. Environment policy: general principles and basic framework
      • 5.4.2. Climate change and the environment
      • 5.4.3. Biodiversity, nature and soil
      • 5.4.4. Water protection and management
      • 5.4.5. Air and noise pollution
      • 5.4.6. Resource efficiency and waste
      • 5.4.7. Sustainable consumption and production
      • 5.4.8. Chemicals
    • 5.5. Consumer protection and public health
      • 5.5.1. Consumer policy: principles and instruments
      • 5.5.2. Consumer protection measures
      • 5.5.3. Public health
      • 5.5.4. Medicines and medical devices
      • 5.5.5. Food safety
    • 5.6. Transport and tourism policy
      • 5.6.1. Common transport policy: overview
      • 5.6.2. Passenger rights
      • 5.6.3. International and cabotage road transport
      • 5.6.4. Road transport: harmonisation of legislation
      • 5.6.5. Road traffic and safety provisions
      • 5.6.6. Rail transport
      • 5.6.7. Air transport: market rules
      • 5.6.8. Air transport: civil aviation security
      • 5.6.9. Air transport: Single European Sky
      • 5.6.10. Aviation safety
      • 5.6.11. Maritime transport: strategic approach
      • 5.6.12. Maritime transport: traffic and safety rules
      • 5.6.13. Tourism
    • 5.7. Energy policy
      • 5.7.1. Energy policy: general principles
      • 5.7.2. Internal energy market
      • 5.7.3. Energy efficiency
      • 5.7.4. Renewable energy
      • 5.7.5. Nuclear energy
    • 5.8. Trans-European Networks in transport, energy and telecommunications
      • 5.8.1. Trans-European Networks — guidelines
      • 5.8.2. Financing the Trans-European Networks
    • 5.9. Industrial policy and research policy
      • 5.9.1. General principles of EU industrial policy
      • 5.9.2. Small and medium-sized enterprises
      • 5.9.3. A Digital Agenda for Europe
      • 5.9.4. The ubiquitous digital single market
      • 5.9.5. Defence industry
      • 5.9.6. Policy for research and technological development
      • 5.9.7. Innovation policy
    • 5.10. Social and employment policy
      • 5.10.1. Social and employment policy: general principles
      • 5.10.2. European Social Fund
      • 5.10.3. Employment policy
      • 5.10.4. Social security cover in other EU Member States
      • 5.10.5. Health and safety at work
      • 5.10.6. Workers’ right to information, consultation and participation
      • 5.10.7. Social dialogue
      • 5.10.8. Equality between men and women
      • 5.10.9. The fight against poverty, social exclusion and discrimination
    • 5.11. Tax policy
      • 5.11.1. General tax policy
      • 5.11.2. Direct taxation: personal and company taxation
      • 5.11.3. Indirect taxation
    • 5.12. An area of freedom, security and justice
      • 5.12.1. An area of freedom, security and justice: general aspects
      • 5.12.2. Asylum policy
      • 5.12.3. Immigration policy
      • 5.12.4. Management of the external borders
      • 5.12.5. Judicial cooperation in civil matters
      • 5.12.6. Judicial cooperation in criminal matters
      • 5.12.7. Police cooperation
      • 5.12.8. Personal data protection
    • 5.13. Culture, education and sport
      • 5.13.1. Culture
      • 5.13.2. Audiovisual and media policy
      • 5.13.3. Education and vocational training
      • 5.13.4. Higher education
      • 5.13.5. Youth
      • 5.13.6. Language policy
      • 5.13.7. Sport
      • 5.13.8. Communication policy
  • 6. The EU’s external relations
    • 6.1. External relations policies
      • 6.1.1. Foreign policy: aims, instruments and achievements
      • 6.1.2. Common security and defence policy
    • 6.2. External trade relations
      • 6.2.1. The European Union and its trade partners
      • 6.2.2. The European Union and the World Trade Organisation
      • 6.2.3. Trade regimes applicable to developing countries
    • 6.3. Development policy
      • 6.3.1. A general survey of development policy
      • 6.3.2. Humanitarian aid
    • 6.4. Human rights and democracy
      • 6.4.1. Human rights
      • 6.4.2. Promoting democracy and observing elections
    • 6.5. The Union’s enlargement and neighbourhood
      • 6.5.1. The enlargement of the Union
      • 6.5.2. The Western Balkans
      • 6.5.3. The European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and the North
      • 6.5.4. The European Neighbourhood Policy
      • 6.5.5. Three Eastern Partnership neighbours: Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus
      • 6.5.6. Three Eastern Partnership neighbours in the South Caucasus
      • 6.5.7. Southern partners
    • 6.6. Relations beyond the neighbourhood
      • 6.6.1. Transatlantic relations: USA and Canada
      • 6.6.2. Latin America and the Caribbean
      • 6.6.3. Russia
      • 6.6.4. Central Asia
      • 6.6.5. Gulf Countries, Iran, Iraq and Yemen
      • 6.6.6. Africa
      • 6.6.7. South Asia
      • 6.6.8. East Asia
      • 6.6.9. Southeast Asia
      • 6.6.10. Pacific
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