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Facts and figures on Europe Thursday 11th March 2010
Facts and figures on Europe
carte de l'europe The Robert Schuman Foundation presents detailed fact sheets on the European countries for you to learn everything about the EU Member states and their neighbours. To access the sheets containing geographic, social, economic and political facts click on the map.
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European Anthem
The European anthem is taken from the Ninth Symphony composed in 1823 by Ludwig van Beethoven based on a poem by Friedrich von Schiller, the Ode to Joy, written in 1785.
This melody, the Union's official anthem since 1985, calls to mind, through the universal language of music, the ideals of freedom, peace, solidarity embodied by Europe.
The Ode to joy doesn't replace the Member states' own national anthems; it celebrates their common values and illustrates the European motto "united in diversity".
Europe, women's continent
Among the five continents Europe holds the lead in terms of gender equality in politics.
These tree charts give you the ranking of all EU27 states concerning the percentage of women in government and parliament.

Europe Live

Council
General Affairs and External Relations
On 27th July the 27 Foreign Ministers called on the Commission to issue an opinion on the request for EU membership on the part of Iceland. They... Finland
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov travelled to Finland on 2nd and 3rd March on the invitation of his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb.... Poland
Austria
The Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger travelled to Warsaw on 3rd March where he met his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski.... Women/Men
Eurostat
On the occasion of International Women's Day on 8th March Eurostat has published statistics on the situation of women and men in the EU. According to... Agency/Debt
Financial Crisis
Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme is proposing the creation of a Finance Ministry or a European Debt Agency (EDA) for the euro area to manage... Telephony
Commission
Since March 1st European mobile telephone operators must offer their clients a limit to their mobile internet bill abroad. According to a regulation... Balkans
Albania
According to a joint declaration published on 5th march after a meeting in Tirana the Interior Ministers of five western Balkan countries (Albania,... A400M
Defence
On 5th March seven customer nations (Germany, France, UK, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Turkey) came to a principle agreement in Berlin to accept the... Industry
Eurostat
According to figures published on 2nd March by Eurostat the industrial price index increased by 0.7% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU in... Women/Men
Commission
The European Commission has promised to address the 18% gap in pay between men and women in the EU. The gap lies at 4.9% in Italy, 17.1% in Spain,... Growth/Employment
Commission
On 3rd March the European Commission launched the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and employment. The Commission wants to promote smart growth... EU
Ukraine
On 1st March Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich travelled to Brussels on his first journey abroad. He was guest to Herman Van Rompuy, President of... Exhibition/Rembrandt
Culture
Until 21st April the Bydgoszocz Museum is devoting an exhibition to drawings and prints by Rembrandt. The exhibition is presenting work borrowed from... Debt
Studies/Reports
The Centre for European Studies in Brussels has just published research by Michael Wohlgemuth entitled "Avoiding the Debt Trap: Public Finances in... Russia
Ukraine
After Europe Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich travelled to Moscow to meet his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev. During the press conference... Appointment
NATO
The Chief of Staff of the French Army, Stéphane Abrial was appointed "Supreme Allied Commander for the Transformation" of NATO on 29th July. This... Carbon
Studies/Reports
The Center for European Reform has just published a study by Stephen Tindale and Simon Tilford entitled "Carbon Capture and Storage: What the EU... EIB
Financial Crisis
The European Investment Bank (EIB) delivered an unprecedented volume of effective funding for the recovery of Europe and Greece. The EIB proved to be... EU/USA
Studies/Reports
The German Society for Foreign Policy (DGAP) has just published a study by Josef Braml entitled "Onkel Dagobert in Nöten. Auswirkungen der... Spain
Financial Crisis
Data published by the public employment services indicate a rise in the number of unemployed (+82,132) in Spain in February. The number of ... Immigration
UK
On March 1st the 2010 strategy was launched by the British Border Agency entitled "International Challenges, International Solutions: Managing the... Jerzy Buzek
Bulgaria
Jerzy Buzek, the President European Parliament, travelled to Bulgaria on 3rd March where he attended the ceremonies of the Bulgarian national day... Treaty ratified
Italia
Italian deputies have voted at the unanimity on july, 31th the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, just one week after the positive vote from the... Germany/Knights
Culture
Just as the Ruhr is the European Capital of Culture this year the archeological museum of Herne is playing on words and is organising an exhibition... Balkans
European Council
After a meeting on 5th March with the new Croatian Head of State Ivo Josipovic, the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy asked... Nabucco
Turkey
On 4th March the Turkish parliament ratified the intergovernment agreement to build the European gas pipeline Nabucco. The Nabucco project aims to... France
Financial Crisis
According to figures published by INSEE on 5th March the unemployment level according to the International Labour Office (ILO), lay at 10% of the... Iceland
Financial Crisis
Iceland's GDP declined by 6.5% in 2009 ie a record annual decline for the country's economy announced the National Statistics Office. In 2008 the GDP... Tobacco
Court of Justice
On 4th March the European Court of Justice condemned the minimum prices set by France, Austria and Ireland on cigarettes and certain tobacco products... Justice
Germany
The German Constitutional Court demanded on 2nd March that all data relative to the telecommunications of citizens that had been saved since 2008 be... High-Tech
Germany
On 1st March Chancellor Angela Merkel inaugurated the Cebit exhibition in Hannover whose guest of honour this year was Spain. Until 6th March the... Fiscality
Spain
The Spanish government approved a plan to counter fiscal fraud on 5th March, this included 60 measures that should lead to the recovery of annual... Norway
Studies/Reports
The OECD published an economic study on Norway which shows that this country has surmounted the financial crisis better than most of the other OECD... Cybercrime
Spain
On 3rd March Spain announced that it had foiled the biggest world network of "zombie computers". This involved over 13 million pirated machines,... Italy
Financial Crisis
According to Istat the Italian GDP decreased by 3% in 2009 in comparison with 2008 with a contraction in all economic sectors although on various... Inflation
Eurostat
According to a rapid estimation published by Eurostat on 2nd March, the annual inflation rate in the euro area lay at 0.9% in February 2010. In... Macedonia
Financial Crisis
On 6th March the Macedonian government revealed a new series of measures to counter the effects of the world economic crisis. This "anti-crisis plan"... Colombia/Peru
Council
On 1st March the EU negotiated a free-trade agreement with Peru and Colombia which will lead to the liberalisation of trade. The agreement notably... Schuman Report
Foundation
The Robert Schuman Foundation has just published the fourth edition of "The State of the Union 2010, Schuman Report on Europe" with the publishing... Referendum/Iceland
Foundation
Nearly all of the Icelanders who turned out to vote on 6th March in the referendum on the law on the Icesave agreement rejected the text: 93% voted... Greece
Financial Crisis
On 3rd March the Greek government presented a draft law entitled "emergency measures to face the financial crisis" which includes 20 articles; it... Russia
France
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a State visit to France from 1st to 3rd March. The Russian and French... Waste
Italy
Italy still does not have an adequate network to dispose of waste in the Naples region of la Campania said the EU Court of Justice on 4th March in a... Belgium
Italy
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano travelled to Brussels on 3rd March where he met European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, members of the... Competitiveness
Council
On 1st and 2nd March the 27 European Industry and Research Ministers adopted measures to foster the mobility of researchers and the establishment of... Balkans
France
During his visit on March 1st and 2nd to Serbia and Kosovo French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner explained to the authorities in Belgrade that the... Spain
Germany
On 1st March German Chancellor Angela Merkel received Spanish Head of Government José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero as part of a series of German-Spanish... Parliament
European Council
The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy met the parliamentary groups of the EPP and the S&D on 3rd March. He said that his main... Statistics
Greece
On 4th March the Greek Finance Minister presented the draft law entitled "Greek Statistics System. Creation of the Greek Statistics Authority 'ELSTA'... ECB
Financial Crisis
On 4th March the European Central Bank (ECB) left its main rate at its lowest level ever (1%) - a status quo that is due to continue to the backdrop... Germany/France
Greece
German Chancellor Angela Merkel endeavoured on 5th March to calm tension between her country and Greece congratulating Athens on its work and saying... Museum/Chopin
Culture
An ultramodern museum devoted to Frederik Chopin was inaugurated on 1st March in Warsaw on the occasion of the bicentary of his birth. Lying in the... Commission
Loans
The European Commission paid the second part of its loan to Latvia to a total of 1.2 billion euros on 27th July together with the first payment of... Elections
Moldova
Together the four main opposition parties won the early general elections in Moldova with 50.7% of the vote and 53 MPs ahead of the Communist Party... No confidence
Ukraine
On 3rd March the Ukrainian parliament voted a motion of no-confidence against Yulia Tymoshenko's government thereby heralding the end of the... Sweden
Financial Crisis
Sweden is due to recover quicker than planned from the economic crisis due to unemployment which will not increase as much as feared, said the... Interim Government
Belgium
Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt succeeded in reaching agreement on 19th December to form an interim government until 23rd March next... Iraq
UK
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was auditioned by the Commission of Inquiry into British commitment in Iraq. He said "I believe that we took the... Economy
Publications
The countries in the east and south of Europe are due to recover growth in 2011, but at lower levels than before the crisis according to forecasts... Europe/Power
Studies/Reports
Garnet (Globlal, Governance, Regionalisation & Regulation: The role of the EU) has published a report by Zaki Laïdi entitled "Europe as a risk averse... EU/Morocco
Council
The EU and Morocco have expressed their desire to build their partnership in terms of external relations on sharing common democratic values, the... Women/Men
Eurobarometer
According to a Eurobarometer survey published on 5th March the business world is "dominated by men who do not trust women enough" say three quarters... Energy
Sweden
Maud Olofsson, Swedish Business and Energy Minister announced in an article published in the daily Dagens Nyheter that Sweden is to increase... Diplomacy
Council
On 5th and 6th March the 27 EU Foreign Ministers debated the establishment of a European External Action Service. Debate was intense, notably with... Euro Area
Financial Crisis
Eurogroup Chair and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker spoke in support of the creation of a European ratings agency that would be placed... Carbon Tax
Eurobarometer
An survey undertaken by Eurobarometer and published on 29th July shows that Europeans do not support the idea of a special tax on products that are... Germany
Financial Crisis
Just as the Bundestag is looking into the German budget for 2010 German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble confirmed in an interview published on 3rd... GMO
Commission
On 2nd March the European Commission announced its intention to present a proposal by the summer aiming to allow Member States greater freedom to... Debate/Barnier
Foundation
EurActiv.fr, notably together with the Robert Schuman Foundation, is organising a debate with Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for the Internal... Armenia
USA
On 4th March the Foreign Affairs Committee of the American Chamber of Representatives approved a resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide by... Nuclear
France
On 8th March French President Nicolas Sarkozy pleaded in favour of the world development of civil nuclear activities notably in poor countries... Referendum
Iceland
According to the almost final results published on 7th March (using a base of 130,575 counted voting slips) the Icelanders answered "no" - 93.2% - to... Balkans
Belgium
After a press conference on 5th March with his Serb counterpart Mirko Cvetkovic Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme said that Belgium "was no longer... GDP
Eurostat
In the fourth quarter of 2009 the GDP in the euro area and that of the EU increased by 0.1% in comparison with the previous quarter according to... Slovenia
Financial Crisis
Slovenia's GDP declined by 7.8% over 2009 as a whole according to figures published on 1st March by the Slovenian statistics office. It is the first... External Operations
Italy
The Italian Chamber of Representatives approved the decision to extend Italian military participation in international missions by six months,... Defence
France
On 5th March European Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton was the guest of French Defence Minister Hervé Morin. They agreed on the need to establish a... Women/Men
Studies/Reports
The share of women working across the globe has increased significantly over the last 30 years but their work is still less well paid and more menial...

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