Editing European Union (section)

===Treaty of Lisbon and Brexit (2004{{Non breaking en dash}}present)===
{{Main|History of the European Union (2004–present)}}

[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (04).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Signing ceremony of the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] (2007)]]

In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania became EU members. Later that year, Slovenia adopted the euro,<ref name="Europa History 00" /> followed by Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014, Lithuania in 2015, and Croatia in 2023.

On 1 December 2009, the [[Treaty of Lisbon|Lisbon Treaty]] entered into force and reformed many aspects of the EU. In particular, it changed the legal structure of the European Union, merging the [[Three pillars of the European Union|EU three pillars]] system into a single legal entity provisioned with a [[legal personality]], created a permanent [[president of the European Council]], the first of which was [[Herman Van Rompuy]], and strengthened the position of the [[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy|high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy]].{{sfn|Piris|2010|page=448}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Parliament announces new President and Foreign Affairs Minister |url=http://government.zdnet.com/?p=6266 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515055515/http://government.zdnet.com/?p=6266 |archive-date=15 May 2016 |access-date=1 December 2009}}</ref>

In 2012, the EU received the [[2012 Nobel Peace Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] for having "contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe".<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 October 2012 |title=The Nobel Peace Prize 2012 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2012/ |access-date=12 October 2012 |publisher=Nobelprize.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=12 October 2012 |title=Nobel Committee Awards Peace Prize to E.U |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/nobel-peace-prize.html |url-status=live |journal=New York Times |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/nobel-peace-prize.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |access-date=12 October 2012}}</ref> In 2013, [[Croatia]] became the 28th EU member.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2013 |title=Croatia: From isolation to EU membership |work=BBC News |agency=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22218640 |access-date=14 May 2013}}</ref>

From the beginning of the 2010s, the cohesion of the European Union has been tested by several issues, including [[European debt crisis|a debt crisis in some of the eurozone countries]], [[2015 European migrant crisis|a surge in asylum seekers in 2015]], and the [[Brexit|United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU]].<ref name="BBCUKREFRESLT">{{Cite web |title=EU Referendum Result |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results |access-date=26 June 2016 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> A [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|referendum in the UK on its membership of the European Union]] was held in 2016, with 51.9 per cent of participants voting to leave.<ref name="NYTEUBrexit">{{Cite news |last=Erlanger |first=Steven |date=23 June 2016 |title=Britain Votes to Leave E.U., Stunning the World |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/world/europe/britain-brexit-european-union-referendum.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=24 June 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/world/europe/britain-brexit-european-union-referendum.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The UK formally notified the European Council of its decision to leave on 29 March 2017, initiating the [[Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union|formal withdrawal procedure for leaving the EU]]; following extensions to the process, the [[United Kingdom|UK]] left the European Union on 31 January 2020, though most areas of EU law continued to apply to the UK for a transition period which lasted until 31 December 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Landler |first1=Mark |last2=Castle |first2=Stephen-US |last3=Mueller |first3=Benjamin |date=31 January 2020 |title=At the Stroke of Brexit, Britain Steps, Guardedly, Into a New Dawn |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/world/europe/brexit-britain-leaves-EU.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=31 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131231006/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/world/europe/brexit-britain-leaves-EU.html |archive-date=31 January 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The early 2020s saw Denmark [[2022 Danish European Union opt-out referendum|abolishing one of its three opt-outs]] and Croatia [[Croatia and the euro|adopting the Euro]].

After the [[COVID-19 recession|economic crisis]] caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the EU leaders agreed for the first time to create common debt to finance the European Recovery Program called [[Next Generation EU]] (NGEU).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recovery plan for Europe |url=https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/recovery-plan-europe_en |access-date=2 May 2021 |website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref>

On 24 February 2022, after massing on the borders of Ukraine, the [[Russian Armed Forces]] undertook an attempt for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2022 |title=Russia-Ukraine war: humanitarian corridor opened from Sumy; Moscow threatens to cut gas supplies to Europe |publisher=theguardian.com |agency=theguardian.com |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/08/ukraine-news-russia-war-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskiy-kyiv-russian-invasion-live-latest-updates |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2022 |title=In pictures: Russia invades Ukraine |publisher=cnn.com |agency=cnn.com |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/14/world/gallery/ukraine-russia-crisis/index.html |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref> The European Union imposed [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War#EU sanctions|heavy sanctions on Russia]] and agreed on a pooled military aid package to Ukraine for lethal weapons funded via the [[European Peace Facility]] off-budget instrument.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Deutsch |first1=Jillian |last2=Pronina |first2=Lyubov |date=27 February 2022 |title=EU Approves 450 Million Euros of Arms Supplies for Ukraine |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-27/eu-approves-450-million-euros-in-lethal-military-aid-for-ukraine |website=[[Bloomberg.com]]}}</ref>
[[File:The ancient Roman Agora is illuminated during the Next Gen EU event, in Athens, Greece, on June 16, 2021.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The ancient [[Roman Agora]] in Athens illuminated with a Next Generation EU sign]]'''Next Generation EU''' ('''NGEU''') is a [[European Commission]] [[economic recovery]] package to support the EU member states to recover from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], in particular those that have been particularly hard hit. It is sometimes styled '''NextGenerationEU''' and '''Next Gen EU''', and also called the '''European Union Recovery Instrument'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2094/oj|title=Council Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 of 14 December 2020 establishing a European Union Recovery Instrument to support the recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis |website=EUR-Lex}}</ref> Agreed in principle by the [[European Council]] on 21 July 2020 and adopted on 14 December 2020, the instrument is worth {{Euro|750&nbsp;billion|link=yes}}. NGEU will operate from 2021 to 2026,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recovery plan for Europe |url=https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/recovery-plan-europe_en |access-date=5 July 2023 |website=European Commission |language=en}}</ref> and will be tied to the regular [[Multiannual Financial Framework#2021–2027 Financial Framework and recovery package|2021–2027 budget of the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework]] (MFF). The comprehensive NGEU and MFF packages are projected to reach €1824.3&nbsp;billion.<ref>[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2020/07/17-21/ Special European Council, 17–21 July 2020 – Main results] Retrieved 15 November 2020.</ref>
Preparing the Union for a new great enlargement is a political priority for the Union, with the goal of achieving 35 member states by 2030. Institutional and budgetary reforms are being discussed in order for the Union to be ready for the new members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 October 2023 |title=Informal meeting of European Council in Grenada to discuss EU enlargement |url=https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2023/10/03/informal-meeting-of-european-council-in-grenada-to-discuss-eu-enlargement/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 August 2023 |title=Charles Michel: EU and accession candidates must be ready for enlargement by 2030 |url=https://jam-news.net/michel-eu-enlargement-by-2030/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=EU should be ready to accept 10 new countries: Official – Turkiye Newspaper |date=September 2023 |url=https://www.turkiyenewspaper.com/politics/16241}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 June 2023 |title=EU countries to start talks on how to make future enlargement work |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement-neighbourhood/news/eu-countries-to-start-talks-on-how-to-make-future-enlargement-work/}}</ref>

In May 2024, concerns rise, that the outcome of the elections in June, can undermine some of the crucial policies of the EU in the domain of environment, diplomacy, [[economy]]. [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|The war in Ukraine]] by creating inflation, lowering life level created a possibility of strong changes in the 2024 elections.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Teng |first1=Tina |title=EU elections: What happens if the far-right parties gain more power? |url=https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/05/22/eu-elections-what-happens-if-the-far-right-parties-gain-more-power |access-date=3 June 2024 |agency=Euronews |date=22 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Naschert |first1=Camilla |title=Climate debate intertwined with cost-of-living concerns as EU elections loom |url=https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/electric-power/052824-climate-debate-intertwined-with-cost-of-living-concerns-as-eu-elections-loom |website=S&P Global |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>