Study guide: Europe and the European Union

📋 Course Outline

1. European Union Foundations
2. EU Institutions and Membership
3. European Symbols and Values
4. Erasmus Plus Programme
5. Erasmus Plus Benefits

📅 Key Dates

1. 1957The Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community
2. 1985The Schengen Agreement abolished border controls between participating countries
3. 1987The Erasmus Programme was created by the EU, more than three million students took part, and the programme was later renamed Erasmus+
4. 1992The Treaty of Maastricht officially created the European Union and prepared the creation of the euro
5. 2007The Treaty of Lisbon made the EU more democratic, efficient and transparent and entered into force in 2009
6. 31st January 2020The United Kingdom officially left the EU in Brexit

📖 1. European Union Foundations

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• European Union: an economic and political partnership between European countries

★ Must-know

• The European Coal and Steel Community existed from 1951 to 1957 and had six member states.

• The European Economic Community existed from 1957 to 1992 and initially had six member states.

• The EU grew from six to 28 member states before Brexit reduced the number from 28 to 27.

Further detail

• Jean Monnet set the economic principles of the first European partnership.

💡 Memory Hook

ECSC → EEC → EU

📖 2. EU Institutions and Membership

★ Must-know

• The euro became the official currency in 2002 for 12 EU countries, while Denmark, Romania, Czechia, Poland, Sweden and Hungary are among current EU members that have not adopted it.

Further detail

• The European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg.

• The EU has 500 million inhabitants.

• The EU enlargement sequence listed in the course is:

  • 1952: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
  • 1973: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom
  • 1981: Greece
  • 1986: Portugal and Spain
  • 1995: Austria, Finland and Sweden
  • 2004: Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
  • 2007: Bulgaria and Romania
  • 2013: Croatia

📖 3. European Symbols and Values

★ Must-know

• The European flag has a blue background with 12 yellow stars.

• The EU motto is “United in diversity”.

• Europe Day is celebrated on 9th May each year.

• The EU values are:

  • solidarity
  • tolerance
  • freedom
  • equality
  • respect

Further detail

• The European anthem is Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

💡 Memory Hook

A blue flag with twelve golden stars above the words “United in diversity”

📖 4. Erasmus Plus Programme

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Erasmus+ Programme: a European programme that supports mobility, education, training and sport

★ Must-know

• From 2014 to 2020, Erasmus+ had a €14.7 billion budget and supported over four million people.

• Erasmus+ activities include:

  • studying
  • training
  • gaining experience
  • volunteering
  • collaborating

Further detail

• The programme is named after Desiderius Erasmus, a 16th-century Dutch philosopher and scholar who loved travelling, studying and learning from different cultures.

• Erasmus+ participants include:

  • university students
  • vocational students
  • apprentices
  • teachers
  • trainers
  • educators
  • volunteers
  • workers

💡 Memory Hook

STTVC: study, train, travel, volunteer, collaborate

📖 5. Erasmus Plus Benefits

📝 Essential Points

• 🔄 Through Erasmus+, young people can:

  1. study and travel
  2. meet new people
  3. learn a new language
  4. discover new cultures

• The objectives of Erasmus+ are:

  • to support mobility of young people
  • to support education, training and sport
  • to help young people to study
  • to train
  • to discover
  • to learn about different cultures

• Erasmus+ helps participants to: improve their English and develop new skills, travel with funding through financial grants, gain independence and boost creativity, discover new cultures and languages, secure better job prospects for their future career

💡 Memory Hook

Mobility → skills and cultures → better job prospects