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:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 2 and 3
Poland (a member since 2004) and Germany (one of the six founding members) are EU members. Belarus and Switzerland are European countries outside the EU; Switzerland deals with the EU through a free trade agreement and bilateral agreements.
- ✗ 1. Belarus is not an EU member: it is not among the 27 EU countries or the countries that joined in any enlargement.
- ✓ 2. Poland joined the European Union in the fifth enlargement of 2004.
- ✓ 3. Germany is one of the six founding countries of the European Union (with Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands).
- ✗ 4. Switzerland is not an EU member; its relations with the EU are governed by a free trade agreement and a series of bilateral agreements.
Remember · EU members here: Germany (one of the six founders) and Poland (2004). Switzerland is outside the EU (bilateral agreements); Belarus is not a member either.
Sources
- European Union, Facts and figures on the European Union: founding members and current Member States ↗ “Founded : in 1951 after the Second World War by six countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). Current Member States : 27 countries .”
- European Union, EU enlargement: history of enlargement (2004) ↗ “Fifth enlargement Ten new countries join the EU: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.”
- European Commission, EU trade relations with Switzerland ↗ “Switzerland's economic and trade relations with the EU are mainly governed through a free trade agreement and through a series of bilateral agreements”
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·