Some things about the EU: What it means to be a member and how Britain is different

(TheStraitsTimes)EuropeanUnionleadersmeetonThursday(Feb18)forwhatpromisestobeatensetwo-daysummittodiscussnewtermsforBritain'smembershipoftheEU.

HereisasummaryofwhatitmeanstobeamemberoftheEUandhowBritainstandsapart:

HowdidtheEUbegin?

TheEUtracesitsoriginstothe1950s,whenhalfadozencountriesincontinentalEuropelaunchedthefirstmovesofeconomicintegrationafterthedevastationofWorldWarII.

TheEuropeanEconomicCommunity(EEC)emergedfromthisprocessin1958,withBelgium,France,Germany,Italy,LuxembourgandtheNetherlandsasthefoundermembers.

JealousofaneconomicboomenjoyedbyFranceandGermany,Britainjoinedtheblocin1973afterovercomingfierceobjectionsinParis.

In1992,theTreatyofMaastrichtexpandedintegration,creatingtheEuropeanUnionandlayingthefoundationsforthesinglecurrency,theeuro-theprojectthatisprovingtobeoneofthemostcontentiousissuesinBritain'scontinuedmembership.

Afteryearsofgradualexpansion,membershipexploded,withtheadditionofnearlyadozenformercommuniststatesin2004and2007.Croatiawasthelatesttojoinin2013,bringingtheclubtoitscurrent28members.

AreallEUmembersequal?

IntheEU,notallmemberscarrythesamepoliticalweightnorobeythesamerules.Whetherconcerningtheeuro,theEUBudgetorthefreemovementofpeople,theEuropeanprojectisriddledwithexceptions.

TheSchengenpassport-freezoneisoneofitspillars,enshriningthefundamentalrighttofreemovement.

BritainistheonlyEUcountrytohaveoptedoutofbothSchengenandtheeuro,choosingtocontrolitsownbordersandcurrency.Denmarkalsoisundernoobligationtoeventuallyjointheeuro.

AllotherEUmembersareexpectedtoadoptthesingleEUcurrency,althoughseveralcountries,includingSwedenandPoland,areopenlyreluctanttodosoaftertheturbulenceoftheeurozonedebtcrisis.

Whocontributestoitsbudget?

AsfortheEUBudget,whichBritaingotcutbackin2014,memberstatescontributeonthebasisoftheirper-capitawealthandpopulationsize.Thecurrent2014-2020Budgetisworthnearlya$1trillioneuros(S$1.56trillion).

Germany,FranceandBritainarethebiggestcontributors,withPoland,HungaryandGreecethebiggestnetrecipients.

TheBudgetcomprisesthreemainparts-theCommonAgriculturalPolicy(CAP),whichcoversfarmaidandaccountsforaboutathirdofspending;CohesionFunds,whichhelppoorermemberstatescatchupwiththeirpeers;andprogrammestoboostinnovationandjobs.

ThenBritishPrimeMinisterMargaretThatcherin1984famouslysecuredarebateonBritain'scontribution,ontheargumentthatBritain,withasmallfarmingsector,receivedmuchlessCAPfundingthanitspeers.TheBritishrebatehassincebecomeanarticleoffaith,withLondonhostiletoanyattempttocutit.

HowdoesacountryleavetheEU?

TheTreatyofLisbon,agreedin2009,introducedanEUexitclause,allowingmemberstatesalegalpathtoleavetheblocvoluntarily.

AcountrythatwantsoutoftheEUmustnotifytheEuropeanCouncil,theparamountdecision-makingbodywhichgroupsthegovernmentsofthe28memberstates.Anywithdrawalwouldthenbenegotiatedinaprocesslikelytotakemonths.

OfficialswarnthatanexitbyBritain,amajoreconomythatalsohoststheCityofLondonfinancialhub,wouldbetortuous.

Areanyadditionsexpected?

TheEUhasputthebrakesonnewmembers,rulingoutanyadditionsuntil2020eversincetheexpansiontotheeastprovedtoomuchforthecurrentinstitutionstohandle.

Turkey,alongwithSerbia,Montenegro,MacedoniaandAlbania,isamongthecurrentapplicants.BritainnotablysupportsTurkey'smembershipbid,butmanyothersarebitterlyopposed.