European Union

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History The European Union was in part motivated by the catastrophe of World War II, with the idea that European integration would prevent such a disastrous war from happening again. The idea was first proposed by the French foreign minister Robert Schuman in a speech in 1950. Schuman was from Alsace – a region at the heart of three violent changes of hand between Germany and France between 1870 and 1944. The speech resulted in the first agreements in 1951: the European Coal and Steel Community, which formed the basis for the European Union. Another important milestone was the Treaty of Rome which came into force on 1 January 1958, establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) which evolved into today's European Union. While the attempt to create a "European Army" failed in the 1950s due to the instability of the Fourth French Republic which was preoccupied with Indochina and Algeria at the time, the six founding members (Italy, France, Germany and the Benelux countries) pressed on with deeper integration and the reduction of barriers to trade and free movement. While the United Kingdom at first saw itself as a benevolent spectator more focused on its special relationship with the U.S. and with its empire and Commonwealth, by the 1960s the French veto was the only thing keeping them from joining. The UK joined the EEC in 1973 together with Ireland and Denmark. During the 1970s military dictatorships fell in Greece, Spain and Portugal, and democracy was reinstated. A few years later, these countries joined the EEC. The EFTA (European Free Trade Area) was set up as an alternative of sorts to the EEC/EU, with EFTA members mostly participating in the trade aspects of the EU but foregoing other forms of deeper integration. Most former EFTA countries have now joined the EU. The EEA (European Economic Area) covers more areas of coordination, and has now mostly taken the role of EFTA. Switzerland was part of both but has now replaced EEA membership with more or less

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The EU does not have an all-encompassing immigration policy, and therefore immigration controls are in principle specific to each country. However, most of its members have adopted the Schengen Agreement, which makes travel very easy between these. Four non-EU countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland) also belong to the Schengen area, while three European micro-states – Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City – do not have any immigration controls with the Schengen countries. Andorra can only be accessed from the Schengen Area, and can be legally visited on a Schengen visa. There is an earlier, related but separate, concept of free movement inside the EU, which gives EU/EEA/Swiss nationals the right of abode and full employment rights in each other's countries regardless of Schengen. There are usually no border controls between countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement. Members of Schengen are still permitted to introduce border checks temporarily for security reasons, such as in connection with major events (and since 2015: crises), and there may be random checks of travel documents, not only at the border. A tourist visa granted for any Schengen Agreement signatory country is valid in all other countries that signed the treaty. However, people who need a visa should get it from their "primary destination" country, and special regulations apply to people on other visas. Travel between a Schengen Agreement country and any non-Schengen country will mostly result in normal border checks. Ireland and the United Kingdom operate a "Common Travel Area" policy which is outside the Schengen agreement and as such, both countries require passport controls of travellers arriving from other EU countries, while Cyprus has not adopted Schengen yet, despite joining the EU. Russian citizens and residents, and perhaps Belarusian ones, have a problem coming from their homeland because of the war on Ukraine. The Baltic countries, Poland and Finland deny entry to

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Although the European Union is moving towards standardisation of travel, national laws do still vary and it is important to refer to the article for each country for planning your trip. Similarly, while open access and harmonisation of railway legislation are intended to lead to an integrated railway market for all of Europe, national railways still dominate their countries and overlap tends to be limited.

By car

With the exceptions of Cyprus, Ireland, and Malta, which drive on the left, the EU drives on the right. There are no restrictions on cars being driven to a country that drives on the other side. Extra care must be taken however; simple modifications to mirrors and headlights make driving somewhat easier. All cars with the standard EU license plate may be driven without additional requirements in another EU country. Cars with other types of license plates must have an oval decal affixed to the car with the international licence plate country code.

Driving licence

EU drivers are issued with a standard European Union driving licence. If you hold an EU driving licence then it may be used for driving throughout the EU. One important caveat is that age restrictions are not uniform across the EU, and your licence is not valid in any EU country unless you also meet the minimum age requirement. Old driving licences may be a hassle, get one of the standardised type if possible. If you hold a non-EU driving licence, then check with each country in order to determine whether it is valid.

By train

Border controls on international trains are usually done on the moving train and usually via spot checks. No international train stops at the border for significant amounts of time. Tickets can usually be bought from both national railways involved unless it is a "private" operator like Thalys. Prices may differ depending on the country where you buy the tickets. When you buy online, prices may vary depending on the website you use and sometimes even depending on t

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The euro

The euro (€; EUR) is the common currency of 21 of the 27 countries that are members of the European Union. These are commonly called the Eurozone. The other 6 countries of the EU retain their national currencies. One euro equals 100 cents, sometimes referred to as "eurocents" especially when there is need to distinguish them from other currencies divided into cents. When an EU country decides to adopt the euro, there is a transition period during which the local currency being phased out and euros are both legal tender. Be aware when this period ends, so as not to be left with the phased-out currency when it is no longer possible to use it for payment. The period may be as short as two weeks. If you end up with any of the obsolete currencies, you may be able to change it in a bank, but don't count on it. As of January 2026, Bulgaria is such a country, abandoning its currency for the Euro. Even in EU countries that have not adopted the euro, it is usually the easiest foreign