Countries in the EU

What are the EU counties? I believe in the EU and am a European citizen. I am also an American citizen. The other day I was at the playground with my child and when she was on the swing I was seeing if I could name all 50 US states. I did it with little problem. However, that raised another question, could I name all the nations in the European Union? The answer is no. Therefore, I compiled a list of member countries and will write a little about each one.

List of countries in the EU

• Austria – Stable low unemployment country but slow to open its doors for other European Union members.
• Belgium – Capital of the EU in Brussels, makes money on Swiss-style banking.
• Bulgaria – Low taxes but still behind in terms of capitalism.
• Cyprus – Tax paradise and create a place to do business and live.
• Czech Republic – Doing well as Prague is the center and its inhabitants are on the whole richer than most EU citizens, the Czech countryside is poorer.
• Denmark – If I ever needed to live another country I would consider Denmark. Clean and stable.
• Estonia – Baltic country has nice small entrepreneurial firms.
• Finland – Its citizens are rich and spend time in the south of Europe for obvious reasons.
• France – Well rounded economy, the richest over all citizens in the EU. If not Per capita but in terms of culture and benefits, like holidays and vacation.
• Germany – Industrial center of the EU. Is the largest export economy in the world, one reason, cars.
• Greece – One of the most corrupt EU countries. I love it for vacation but the poor suffer at the hands of the government.
• Hungary – Cyclical economy.
• Ireland – Did well as it was one of the first member expansion states of the EU and got a lot of Irish American support, but the economy is over as companies are moving to lower cost EU nations.
• Italy –  The north is like Germany, industrial and businesslike, the south is like Greece, laid-back and agricultural. A very nice European Union nation.
• Latvia – Small and economy.
• Lithuania – A few years behind a country like Poland but still progressive in terms of politics and economics.
• Luxembourg – Rich and stable because of secret banking.
• Malta – Tax haven and vacation spot for European Union citizens.
• Netherlands – Free country.
• Poland – Conservative finances and low credit one of the only EU countries that is stable, despite being a post-communist country, it is doing very well.
• Portugal – Basically now just for vacation during the EU’s long winter.
• Romania – Low cost labor a very good country to invest.
• Slovakia – Has the Euro and is like Poland, pretty conservative in terms of credit.
• Slovenia – Nation of many small companies.
• Spain  –  Feeds a lot of the EU. The food from Spain is in every European market.
• Sweden – Open with the great social system, but very dark and cold.
• The United Kingdom – With Poland a more American style of capitalism rather than the continental social way. Pursues an independent path with currency and policy. Update: Brexit.

There are other countries like Norway and Switzerland that are not on the list. They are basically EU nations but do not want to join for one reason or another. I think these are rich countries and should join but do not want to help out other countries maybe. I am very pro-European unity as it breaks down nationalism and things in the past that caused division.

The candid list of countries includes Croatia, Macedonia, and Turkey. Other possible countries that might join are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Iceland.

The EU, the Euro and the Schengen zone

These are three separate but interrelated ideas. The European Union represents a free trade zone with free movement of labor and capital. The Euro is nothing more than a unified currency. The Schengen zone is about visa and passport-free travel and living in Europe. The European Union is political and economic, the Euro is financial and the Schengen is a passport travel zone.

More on the EU and its countries

I recommend this website to learn more about the EU countries, it is the official website of the European Union and the page which talks about each country.

The list of countries in the European Union is growing outside just Europe, it is now 27 member countries.  I am very pro EU expansion. My question is where it will stop?