EU, stands for European Union, previously known as the , a group of 28 advanced Western industrialized countries co-operating on both economic and political fronts. Twenty-four of the 28 members produce wine (of which seven only in marginal quantities), making the Union the world’s leading wine economy, producing around 175 million hl/4,623 million gal every year, and accounting for 45% of the world’s wine-growing areas, 65% of production, 57% of global consumption, and 70% of exports.
