The European Union (EU) is a unique partnership in which countries including the United kingdom work closely together for the benefit of all their citizens. There are currently 27 EU member states with a total population of  more than 490 million. The 27 member states of the EU have agreed to work together on issues of common interest, where collective and co-ordinated initiatives can be more effective than individual state action.

EU-US relations
The EU and the USA established diplomatic relations as early as 1953, but it was only in November 1990 that the cooperation was formalised for the first time with the Transatlantic Declaration. Since December 1995, the New Transatlantic Agenda (NTA) has provided the foundation for the relationship.

The ambitious agenda of cooperation between the EU and the US is taken forward via constant, intensive dialogue. This dialogue takes place at various levels, from the annual summit meetings between EU and US Leaders to technical work at expert level.

Within the framework of the NTA and in line with the Transatlantic Economic Partnership (TEP) launched in 1998, the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) was created in 2007 to take forward efforts to boost the transatlantic economy.

Together, the EU and the USA have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, roughly 40% of the world trade and over 60% of the world GDP. In keeping with the evolving political and legal personality of the EU, there is active cooperation across a host of sectors: cooperation in justice and home affairs, energy and energy security, environment, science & technology, education & training and more.