The EU 25 Trivia Quiz

Answer: France

Monnet was a French civil servant. His plan, publicised by Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister, led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, the forerunner of the EC.

Answer: Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany was a founder member of the EC. In 1990 it reunited with the former communist German Democratic Republic whose territory was then brought into the EC. This was the first, and to date only, time the EC's territory has enlarged without taking on a new member state.

Answer: United Kingdom

The French President, Charles de Gaulle, twice vetoed the UK's application for membership in 1963 and 1967; following his death the UK joined in 1973 along with Ireland and Denmark. Norway had been scheduled to join with them but voted against membership in a referendum.

In 2016, the UK then held its own referendum and voted to leave what had by then become the European Union, by a margin of 52% to 48%.

Answer: Greece

Spain and Portugal did not join the EC until 1986. Norway was again due to join the (by then) EU in 1995 but again voted against membership in a referendum.

Answer: Poland

Poland's poulation is 38.6 million, the Czech Republic's 10.3 million, Hungary's 10.1 million and Slovakia's 5.4 million (Source: www.wikipedia.org).

Answer: Sweden

On 14th September 2003 the Swedes voted 'no' to adopting the euro following a similar vote in Denmark in 2000. The UK government favoured ultimate adoption of the single currency but had not yet announced plans to hold a referendum. Greece was originally excluded from the Eurozone due to its failure to meet the economic criteria.

However, it joined the Eurozone in 2001 (notes and coins replaced national currencies in January 2002).

Answer: Ireland

Ireland's decision to apply for membership of the EC was dictated largely by the UK's, because Ireland's trade at the time was predominantly with the UK.

Answer: Latvia

The Lithuania capital is Vilnius. The capitals of Slovenia and Slovakia are Ljubljana and Bratislava respectively.

Answer: Cyprus

The EU recognised only the Greek-speaking Republic of Cyprus and not the Turkish-speaking Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which was backed by Turkey. The dispute had long been a stumbling block for EU membership for Cyprus and for Turkey. The EU finally decided under Greek pressure that it would admit only the Greek-controlled areas rather than waiting for reunification of the whole island.

The TRNC had come under pressure from Turkey in the late 1990s and early 2000s to reach a settlement in the hopes that this would boost Turkey's own, long-cherished dreams of joining the EU.

In a referendum held on the island in April 2004 the Turkish Cypriots voted to reunify the island (Yes 64.9%; No 35.1%). However, as the Greek Cypriots voted against the plan (Yes 24.2%; No 75.8%), the island remianed divided and only the Greek areas joined the EU.

Answer: Belgium

It was originally intended that the institutions be shared among as many member states as possible. However, as the EC/EU has evolved they have increasingly centred around the Belgian capital, Brussels. While the European Parliament has its main base at Strasbourg in France it also has a debating chamber and offices in Brussels, while its secretariat is located in Luxembourg.

The European Court of Justice, the European Investment Bank and the Court of Auditors remain in Luxembourg.

Answer: Slovenia

The Slovenian GDP per captia was US$18,000. Malta's is $17,000, the Czech Republic's $153,00 and Hungary's $13300 (Source: www.wikipedia.org).

Answer: Spain

Membership of the EC was seen by both Spain and Portugal as part of their transition to democracy following the end of the right-wing dictatorships in both countries in the 1970s.

Answer: Estonia

Running from north to south the most northerly new members are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Sweden and Finland remain the most northerly members overall.

Answer: Italy

The Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957 establishing the EEC and the European Atomic Energy Community the following year. The institutions of the EEC, the ECSC and the EAEC (Euratom) were later merged and became known was the European Community.

Answer: Luxembourg

The ECJ is sited in the city of Luxembourg.

Answer: Malta

Malta will be the smallest member state with 0.394 million people, then Luxembourg with 0.443 million, Cyprus with 0.758 million, and then Estonia with 1.408 million (Source: www.wikipedia.org).

Answer: Denmark

The first Danish vote threatened to derail European integration as all countries had to agree to the Treaty. Denmark was granted some derogations from the Treaty, which allowed the Danish people to agree to it in a second referendum.

Answer: Lithuania

Lithuania's independence was recognised by the Soviet Union in 1991 along with Estonia and Latvia which both also joined the EU in 2004. The 2004 enlargement was seen as a historic step in reuniting Eastern and Western Europe after the divisions of the Cold War.

Answer: Portugal

EFTA was founded in 1960 as a rival to the EC. It was never as successful and most of the founding members have since joined the EC, leaving only Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein as members. Spain, Greece and Italy were never EFTA members.

Answer: Netherlands

The Treaty of Maastricht (which came into force in 1993) created the European Union from the old European Community. The Treaty of Amsterdam (came into force in 1999) led the way for the largest expansion of the EC/EU in its history.

Answer: Hungary

Turkey and Croatia are also formal candidate countries, accession negotiations began in October 2005.

Answer: Czech Republic

Czechoslovakia was formed after the First World War from the remains of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1993 it split into two parts, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Answer: Finland

The accession of Estonia and Latvia increased the EU's border with this vast land.
Norway does share a border with Russia, but has not joined the European Union.

Answer: Slovakia

The Slovak 'Yes' vote was 92%, in Lithuania it was 91%, Slovenia 90% and Hungary 83%.

Answer: Austria

Austria's empire once extended to include Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic as well as parts of Poland not to mention Croatia, Bosnia and parts of Ukraine and Romania. Malta and Cyprus were once possessions of the British Empire, Sweden once ruled Estonia and Latvia as well as Finland while Spain once ruled Portugal.