Explainers

The European Union is among the safest regions in the world when it comes to transport. The EU works to ensure transport safety through a combination of legislation, funding, coordination, and technical expertise.

Discover what the EU is doing to make maritime transport more competitive, greener and safer.

Find out how much oil the EU is importing, which countries are the EU's main trading partners and which sectors use the most oil in the EU.

The EU has laid down a series of rules and rights to ensure that travellers buying packages are protected before and during their trip.

The EU aims to ensure that only safe products are placed on the European market and that risky products can be removed swiftly.

EU legislation provides a common framework to ensure that excise duties are applied consistently across the Union. Member states introduce and collect excise duties individually. 

Documents and timelines relating to the European Semester since 2014.

The EU concludes security and defence partnerships with like-minded non-EU countries to promote peace and security across the world.

The savings and investments union aims to connect savings and investments in the EU to create financial opportunities for citizens and businesses.

The EU and Australia have a longstanding cooperation and are top trading partners.