At present the European Union (EU) consists of twenty
five countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Each EU country has regulations and laws under the
control of their own courts and governments. There
are also laws made by the European Parliament that
apply to all member states and some that only apply
to those that have opted to implement them within
their borders. It is important to be aware of the
legal situation regarding issues such as driving,
smoking and drinking in public and the customs regulations,
if you are moving goods between countries.
If you are going to work whilst visiting a country
in Europe, it is important to know about the relevant
employment law, taxation and whether you have the
legal right to work. EU citizens will usually have
working rights in other EU member states and working
visas are available for some nationalities.
