Member States

A candidate country that meets the accession criteria as defined by the Copenhagen European Council of 1993 and signs the accession Treaty with the individual EU Member States becomes a Member State of the European Union.

Each of the 27 Member States is bound by the Treaties and the acquis communautaire. Each participates in governing the EU on equal terms.

There were 28 Member States until 1 February 2020, when the United Kingdom withdrew from the EU and became a third country (non-EU country).

Now there are 27 Member States: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.

In the summaries of EU legislation, the term ‘EU countries’ is used often as alternative of ‘Member States’.

SEE ALSO

• Accession criteria (Copenhagen criteria)
• Candidate countries
• Accession process to the EU
• Acquis
• EU enlargement policy
• Treaties
• Withdrawal clause
• Treaty on European Union — Joining the EU (summary)
• European Union countries (Europa).