The European Union is an intergovernmental and supranational union made up of 27 member states established in 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty. While formally established then, many aspects of the union existed prior through predecessor relationships dating back to 1951. The EU includes countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. France, one of the founding members, has a population of over 60 million people and its capital is Paris.

1. European Union The European union is a supranational and intergovernmental union of 27 independent, democratic member states. It is the world's largest confederation of independent states, established under that name in 1992 by the Treaty on European Union (the Maastricht Treaty). However, many aspects of the Union existed before that date through a series of predecessor relationships, dating back to 1951.

2. These are the countries of the E.U. Austria Belgium Bulgaria Denmark Finland France Greece Germany Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Portugal Romania Spain Sweden United Kingdom of Great Britain Northern Ireland