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FOREIGN POLICY
TOPIC
ADVOCATE OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
No country in Europe has more neighbours
helped shape the process of European cohe-
than Germany. It shares its border with
sion following the end of the East-West con-
nine countries, eight of which are European
flict. This European integration created the
Union (EU) member states. For Germany,
world’s largest common market, character-
European integration, one of the most im-
ised by the four fundamental freedoms for-
pressive political success stories of recent
mulated in the Treaty of Rome signed in
decades, lays the foundations for peace, se-
1957: the free movement of goods between
curity, and prosperity. Advancing and
the EU member states, the freedom of
strengthening this, particularly in view of
movement of persons, the freedom to pro-
complex and in many cases crisis-ridden
vide services within the EU, and the free
conditions, remains the main task of Ger-
flow of capital.
man foreign policy. Begun in the early
1950s, the historical project that today is
The financial and debt crisis which took
the EU nowadays has over half a billion citi-
shape in 2008 left the European unification
zens in 28 member states. German Euro-
process facing major challenges. For this
pean policy emerged as a driving force in all
reason the banking union, which establishes
stages of European unification, and actively
common standards and control mechanisms for the financial sector in the Eurozone, was a key objective of German Euro-
NUMBER
pean policy. Social cohesion among Europeans, in difficult times as well, enjoys
508 million
people live in the 28 member states of
the European Union. This gives it the
third largest population after China and
India. Its citizens speak 24 languages and
live in an area covering four million
square kilometres. GDP totals 13.92 trillion euros and is bigger than that of the
USA. With a share of 15.4 percent of exports and 16.4 percent of imports, the
EU leads the way in worldwide trade.
→ europa.eu
widespread support among the German
population. The size and economic output
of the common European market make the
EU a major player in the global economy.
The Eurozone alone accounts for more than
a fifth of the gross domestic product generated worldwide – putting it in second place
behind the USA. At the same time the Eurozone is the most important importer and
exporter of goods and services worldwide.
The IMF is expecting growth of 1.6 percent
for 2016; in 2013, the European Economic
Area was still in recession. As the strongest