Enlargement: Extending European values and standards to more countries

A small brochure part of the series ‘The European Union explained’ that explains what the EU does in the fields where it has powers, why it does this and what it achieves. Intended for EU citizens.The European Union was created in the 1950s to foster peace, prosperity and European values on the continent. Its purpose is as relevant today as it was then. The EU is open to all democratic European countries that wish to join. The EU’s enlargement policy accompanies this process. Having grown from six to 28 members, stretching from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, the EU has become home to over 500 million people.

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