UPSC Prelims 2026·GS1·polity·international organizations

Which of the following countries are members of the European Union? 1. Belarus 2. Poland 3. Germany 4. Switzerland Select the answer using the code given below:

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Last updated 25 May 2026, 8:23 pm IST
  1. A1, 2 and 4
  2. B1 and 4 only
  3. C2 and 3Correct
  4. D2 and 4 only

Explanation

The correct answer is Option C (2 and 3).

Why Options 2 and 3 are correct:

  • Germany (3) is one of the six founding member states of the European Union. It signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, establishing the European Economic Community, which was the direct predecessor to the modern EU.
  • Poland (2) is an official member of the European Union. It joined the bloc alongside nine other countries during the largest single EU enlargement on May 1, 2004,.

Why Options 1 and 4 are incorrect:

  • Belarus (1) is not an EU member state. It has never formally applied for membership and maintains deep economic and political alignment with Russia, including being a founding member of the Union State,. Due to human rights violations and democratic suppression, relations are highly strained, and Belarus is currently subject to extensive EU sanctions.
  • Switzerland (4) is not an EU member state. Although heavily integrated into the EU's single market through over a hundred bilateral treaties and participating in the Schengen Area, Swiss citizens rejected European Economic Area (EEA) membership in a 1992 referendum,. The Swiss government formally withdrew its long-dormant EU accession application in 2016 to preserve its historic political neutrality,.

Key Takeaway: Do not conflate geographical Europe with political EU membership. Prominent Western European nations like Switzerland and Norway are not EU members (they instead belong to the European Free Trade Association), while Eastern European states like Belarus remain entirely outside the bloc's integration frameworks.

polity: Which of the following countries are members of the European Union? 1. Belarus 2. Poland 3. Germany 4. Switzerland Selec

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