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Europe
Article The constitution
Europe and the European Union – international cooperation also influences Germany’s domestic policy.
More than 510 million people live in the European Union. They speak more than 20 different languages and are from 28 countries in total.
But Europe is more than the European Union: The Western Balkan countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are part of Europe, as are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The Federal Ministry’s European policy focuses on cooperation within the European Union with the aim of creating an area of freedom, security and justice. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council are developing strategies to fight terrorism, organized and serious crime as well as cybercrime in Europe. The Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and EU migration policy are currently being advanced in order to find a fair and sustainable common response to the high migration pressure from third countries.
The Schengen system, which is an integral part of the EU- Acquis, is the basis for free travel throughout Europe without border controls.
But European home affairs policy also covers: cooperation on civil protection, cooperation of law enforcement authorities, public service law and sport, to name just a few examples.
