Germany and Europe

Germany is one of the founding members of the European Union. Today it works to strengthen and develop the EU as a guarantor of peace, security and prosperity.

Insights

Germany – Strong Partner in the EU

The cohesion of the European Union forms the basis for the Member States’ peace, security and prosperity. As one of the founding EU Member States, German actively advocates “more Europe”.

Advocate of European integration

Germany is one of the founding European Union member states and even in difficult times supports European cohesion.

Europe’s Green Deal

The European Union’s “Green Deal” provides a master plan for a just transition to a sustainable, climate-friendly future.

Franco-German friendship – a driving force

Germany and France share an eventful history. As partners they feel themselves particularly responsible for the future of Europe.

The EU and its partners

The European Union maintains close and friendly ties with its neighbours.

Map of Europe

The five EU countries with the most inhabitants

m. (Source: Destatis/Eurostat)

Inhabitants

Germany	Off	germany	83
France	Off	france	68
Italy	Off	italy	59
Spain	Off	spain	48
Poland	Off	poland	37

The four biggest countries in the EU

km² (Source: Eurostat)

Biggest countries

France	Off	france	633186
Spain	Off	spain	505944
Sweden	Off	sweden	438574
Germany	Off	germany	357588

The five largest economies in the EU

Gross domestic product in billion EUR (Source: Eurostat, 2023)

Economies

Germany	Off	germany	4122
France	Off	france	2803
Italy	Off	italy	2085
Spain	Off	spain	1462
Netherlands	Off	netherlands	1034

Germany’s five most important trading partners in the EU

Trade volume in billion EUR (Source: DIHK/Destatis, 2023)

Trading partners

France	Off	france	186
Netherlands	Off	netherlands	215
Italy	Off	italy	156
Austria	Off	austria	133
Poland	Off	poland	170

Facts and figures

EU founding member in 1957

Germany was one of the six founding-states of the then EEC.

Climate-neutral Europe by 2050

The EU’s Fit for 55 package is the largest package of climate protection legislation that has been put together anywhere in the world.

More than 30 EU missions

As part of the Common Security and Defence Policy, the EU has deployed more than 30 civilian and military missions since 2003.

95,5 billion euros

These funds have been allocated to the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.

Timeline

Europe

The most important steps along the path to a united Europe and other significant stages of the partnership.

1957

The process of European integration begins.

With the signing of the Treaties of Rome, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands establish the European Economic Community (EEC).

1979

Members of the public are invited to vote in European elections.

This is the first time that Members of the European Parliament have been directly elected. They had previously been delegated by national parliaments.

1993

Visible signs of European integration at the borders:

in Schengen in Luxembourg, Germany, France and the Benelux countries agree to end border controls between the states. Other countries join the agreement later.

2002

The EU gets its own currency.

Known unofficially as the Eurozone, 20 states make up the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) of the European Union. They use the euro as their common form of currency.

2004

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus

join the EU on 1 May. Bulgaria and Romania followed in 2007.

2013 -2022

Croatia joins the EU in 2013.

The UK ceased to be a member of the EU in February 2020. The current official accession candidates are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine.