Figure 4.13: The current (2013) members of the EU and their dates of joining. The European Union, formed as the EEC in 1958 with the initial goal of economic integration, became the EU in 1992, and has led the worldwide movement toward greater regional cooperation. It is older and more deeply integrated than its closest competitor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

[Sources consulted: United Nations Human Development Report 2009, Table H, United Nations Development Programme, at http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2009; Human Development Report 2011, Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All, United Nations Development Programme, at http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/]