a state member of the European Union. Each state is allocated a weighted vote when voting by qualified majority in the Council of the European Union. The weighting follows each member state name. Initially there were six members: Belgium (5), Netherlands (5), Luxembourg (2), France (10), Germany (10) and Italy (10). Then there were nearly a few others: the UK applied to join in 1961 and was rebuffed and was refused entry again in 1967. After the Hague summit of 1969, negotiations began to admit the UK and others. The UK (10) joined with fellow European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members Norway, Denmark (3) and the Republic of Ireland (3) by virtue of the Treaty of Brussels of 1972 coming into effect in 1973. As the result of an internal referendum, Norway did not ratify its membership. The UK later had a consultative referendum to decide whether it should stay in. Thereafter, Greece (5), Spain (8) and Portugal (5) joined as at 1 January 1986. Greenland left as a result of adjusting its relationship with Denmark as at 1 February 1985. As at 1 January 1995, Austria (4), Finland (3) and Sweden (4) joined the European Union. Legally, membership is open to any European state, but (perhaps fortunately) 'European' is not defined. There is no legal procedure for leaving the Communities. The Community has always been reluctant to have classes of full membership and every member is equal. See also European Economic Area.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.