At present, the fifteen Member States of the European Union are:

• Austria (1995)
• Belgium (1952)
• Denmark (1973)
• Finland (1995)
• France (1952)
• Germany (1952)
• Greece (1981)
• Ireland (1973)
• Italy (1952)
• Luxembourg (1952)
• The Netherlands (1952)
• Portugal (1986)
• Spain (1986)
• Sweden (1995)
• United Kingdom (1973)

Applications for membership:

• Norway (1962, 1967, 1992)
  In 1972, Norway agreed to entry conditions after negotiations. In the Norse referendum, however, 53.9% voted against entry. In 1994, 52.3% of Norwegians voted against entry.
• Turkey (1987)
  Turkey´s application for membership is problematic as a consequence of its difficult relations with Greece, violations of human rights, and the inadequate protection of minorities. Nonetheless, a customs union with the EU is in place and the Turkish economy shows the characteristics of a market economy. In 1999, Greece announced that it was in favour of Turkey´s entry.
• Cyprus (1990)
  The conflict between Greece and Turkey about the partition of this island makes entry a complicated matter. In addition, the size of the island makes it difficult, also in a financial sense, for Cyprus to participate in the Union´s institutions.
• Malta (1990)
  The size of the island makes it difficult, also in a financial sense, to participate in the Union´s institutions. In addition, the economy of the island needs to be reformed.
• Switzerland (1992)
  In a referendum, the Swiss voted against joining the European Economic Union. This caused the entry application to be frozen.
• Hungary (1994)
• Poland (1994)
• Romania (1995)
• Slovakia Republic (1995)
• Czech Republic (1995)
• Latvia (1995)
• Estonia (1995)
• Lithuania (1995)
• Bulgaria (1995)
• Slovenia (1996)