| 10
things you didn’t know about the EU |
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1 |
European
economic integration began in 1951 when six
countries - Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg,
France, Italy and the Netherlands - set up
the European Coal and Steel Community. |
| 2 |
The European
flag has twelve gold stars because the number
twelve is a traditional symbol of perfection,
completeness and unity. It is also the number
of months in a year and the number of hours
on a clock face. |
| 3 |
The anthem
of the European Union is the “Ode to
Joy” from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
This melody, which almost everyone knows,
consists of only six notes spread over twenty-four
bars. |
| 4 |
The 9th
of May is Europe Day. It was on the 9th of
May 1950 that Robert Schuman, the then French
Minister of Foreign Affairs, proposed that
France and Germany integrate their coal and
steel industries. |
| 5 |
Europe
is the world’s most popular tourist
destination. Four EU member states - France,
Spain, Italy and the UK - were ranked among
the world’s top six tourist destinations
in 2001. |
| 6 |
In addition
to being the legal tender for twelve EU member
states (not including Denmark, Sweden and
the UK) the euro is also used in Andorra,
Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. |
| 7 |
Every year
a number of European cities are chosen as
“cultural capitals”. The European
Capitals of Culture for 2004 are Genova, in
Italy, and Lille, in France; in 2005 it will
be Cork, in Ireland. |
| 8 |
Every
year or two, the EU organises a series of
special events in connection with a particular
European issue. 2001 was the “European
Year of Languages”; 2004 is the “European
Year of Education through Sport”. |
| 9 |
One of
the aims of the EU is to create a frontier-free
area in which (1) people, (2) goods, (3) services
and (4) money can all move freely. These are
sometimes referred to as “the four freedoms”. |
| 10 |
On the
1st of May 2004 the number of official languages
in the EU will rise from eleven to twenty.
Any of these languages may be used for corresponding
with the institutions of the EU. |
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To
mark next month’s historic enlargement
of the European Union, EITI has published
a list of little known facts and figures
about the EU.
Why does the
European flag have twelve stars? Which
cities are Europe’s Capitals
of Culture for 2004? EITI brings you
10 things you didn’t know about
the EU...
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