Europe

Nearly 500 million people live in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). They speak more than 20 different languages. But Europe is more than the 27 EU member states, because Europe does not end at the EU’s external borders. Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland do not belong to the EU, but they are part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Schengen area. And the Western Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – as well as the eastern partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus – also belong to Europe in cultural terms.

The European policy of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community focuses on cooperation within the European Union, an area of freedom, security and justice for Europe’s residents, which must be preserved and strengthened. The European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission design the policy and common rules for cooperation in fighting terrorism, organised crime and cyber crime in Europe. The common European policy on asylum and migration is a top priority; it is being further developed to provide a common and lasting European response to these challenges in a spirit of solidarity.

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