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M.A. Sociology - European Societies

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1st exercise: European Areas

There are numerous organisations and areas on the European continent. The European integration cannot be limited to the European Union only. The political, economic and legal integration happens on many levels and through many channels that to some extent overlap and it is easy sometimes to confuse them. Nonetheless, it is important to understand the institutional structure of the European integration, as it provides frames and context for the integration on the social and individual level.

Task:

  • The following exercise is typical for the first module of the studies, ‘European Integration and the Development of European Societies since 1945’.
  • In the table below, please match the countries to the European organisations / institutions they belong to.
  • Countries may be a member of several institutions.

Abbreviations:
EU – European Union
EU FMS – EU founding member state
EEA – European Economic Area
€ – Eurozone
Schengen – Schengen Area
CoE – Council of Europe
EU CC – EU candidate country

EU
EU FMS
EEA
€
Schengen
CoE
EU CC

Croatia

Croatia is a member state of the Council of Europe since 1996. It has joined the European Union in 2013. As of early 2014, joining the European Economic Area is under ratification process. 

Denmark

Denmark is one of the founding members of Council of Europe. It joined the European Union in 1973. It is a member of the European Economic Area and of the Schengen Zone. It received an opt-out from the monetary union and it not a member of the Eurozone.

Estonia

Estonia is member of the European Union since 2004. It belongs to the European Economic Area, the Schengen Area and to the Eurozone since 2011. It joined the Council of Europe in 1993.

France

France is one of the founding members of both Council of Europe and the European Union. It is also a member of the EEA and the Schengen Area, as well as the Eurozone.

Germany

Germany is one of the founding members of the European Union. It became part of the Council of Europe in 1950 (East Germany never joined the organization, though). It is also a member of the EEA and the Schengen Area, as well as the Eurozone.

Iceland

Iceland has been an official candidate state of the European Union since 2010, although the negotiations are frozen since mid-2013. It is a member of EFTA, the European Free Trade Organization and as such is also member of the European Economic Area. It is a member of the Schengen Zone as well. It joined the Council of Europe in 1950.

Ireland

Ireland is one of the founding members of Council of Europe. It joined the European Union in 1973. It is a member of the European Economic Area and of the Eurozone.

EU
EU FMS
EEA
€
Schengen
CoE
EU CC

North Macedonia

North Macedonia joined the Council of Europe in 1995. It is an official candidate to the EU since 2005 and is currently negotiating the accession. It is not a member of the Schengen Area, Eurozone or European Economic Area.

Norway

Norway is not a member of the European Union. It is a member of the Schengen Area and the European Economic Area, as well as of the Council of Europe.

Poland

Poland is member of the European Union since 2004. It belongs to the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area. It has not accepted euro as it currency yet. It joined the Council of Europe in 1991.

Spain

Spain is a member of the Council of Europe since 1977, the European Union, the Eurozone and the Schengen Area. As all EU member states, it is also part of the European Economic Area.

Switzerland

Switzerland is part of the Council of Europe since 1963. It is not member of the European Union. It has joined the Schengen Area though. As the only European Free Trade Association member state it is not part of the European Economic Area.

Turkey

Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe since 1949 and an official EU candidate since 1999, although it applied already in 1987. It is neither member of the Eurozone, Schengen Area nor European Economic Area. Negotiations are frozen since 2016.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is one of the founding members of Council of Europe. It joined the European Union in 1973 and exited 2020. Since then it is also not a member of the European Economic Area anymore. It was never a member of the Schengen Zone and the Eurozone.

You will receive feedback to each answer when you click on the icon .

27 countries are currently members of the European Union.

The European Communities, which later became the European Union, has been founded by the so-called Inner Six, i.e. Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands.

The European Economic Area was created in 1994 as an agreement between the European Union and the European Free Trade Association that allows the EFTA states to participate in the EU’s internal market without being members of the EU. Currently it comprises all EU member states (with the exception of Croatia, which awaits ratification of the enlargement agreement) and three EFTA countries: Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway. Switzerland did not join the treaty and cooperates with the EU on bilateral grounds instead.

The Eurozone, officially called the euro area, comprises 20 member states of the EU that adopted the euro (€) as their common currency. The current members are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Denmark and the United Kingdom obtained op-outs and were not obliged to join. Sweden gained a de facto opt-out by using a legal loophole. The remaining six countries are not currently taking any steps in this direction for various reasons.

The Schengen Area is a group of 29 European countries that have abolished passport and immigration controls at their common borders. Currently Bulgaria and Romania are only part of Schengen if people travel via airports or cross maritime borders.

The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation. It was founded in 1949, has 46 member states and is an entirely separate body from the European Union. One of its best-known bodies is the European Court of Human Rights. Kosovo and Belarus are not members of the Council of Europe while Russia left the organisation in 2022.

An EU candidate country is a state that applied for the membership and has been accepted by the EU as such. Currently, there are eight recognised candidates for membership: Albania (applied 2009, recognised 2014), Bosnia and Herzegovina (applied 2016, recognised 2022), Georgia (applied 2022, recognised 2023), Iceland (applied 2009, recognised 2010), North Macedonia (applied 2004, recognised 2005), Moldova (applied 2022, recognised 2022), Montenegro (applied 2008, recognised 2010), Serbia (applied 2009, recognised 2012), Ukraine and Turkey (applied 1987, recognised 1999). Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine have not yet started negotiations to join, Iceland suspended theirs in 2013, Turkeys accession negotiations are suspended since 2019. Kosovo applied in 2022, however has not been granted the status by the EU yet.