The European Union (EU) ⁱ/ˌjʊrəˈpiːənˈjuːnjən/ is an economic and political union or confederation of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), formed by six countries in 1958. In the intervening years the EU has grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union under its current name in 1993. The latest amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.

The EU operates through a system of supranational independent institutions and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states. Important institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the Court of Justice of the European Union, and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by EU citizens.

Michel Teló (born January 21, 1981) is a Brazilian sertanejo singer-songwriter. Before his solo act, he was a lead singer in various bands, most notably Grupo Tradição. His biggest national and international hit is "Ai Se Eu Te Pego!," a number one in most European countries, Latin America, and the province of Quebec, Canada.

From his early years, Teló has dedicated his life to music. His artistic career began in 1987 when, as a six-year-old, he made ​​his first solo performance in his school choir, singing a piece by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos. At 10, his musical talent blossomed when his father gave him an accordion. At the age of 12, upon encouragement by neighbors, school friends, and his brothers, he formed a young band for playing traditional music, which was called "Guri" and served to strengthen Teló taste in music in a professional organized manner. He was the band's lead singer and composer. Besides his love for the harmonica, Teló also took piano lessons for five years. He was also dancer and played the accordion, harmonica, and guitar.

Nigel Paul Farage ( /ˈfærɑːʒ/, FARR-ahzh; born 3 April 1964, Farnborough, Kent), is a British politician and is the Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), a position he also held from September 2006 to November 2009. He is a Member of the European Parliament for South East England and co-chairs the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group.

Farage is a founding member of the UKIP, having left the Conservative Party in 1992 after they signed the Maastricht Treaty. Having unsuccessfully campaigned in European and Westminster parliamentary elections for UKIP since 1994, he gained a seat as an MEP for South East England in the 1999 European Parliament Election — the first year the regional list system was used — and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009. Farage describes himself as a libertarian and rejects the notion that he is a conservative.

In September 2006, Farage became the UKIP Leader and led the party through the 2009 European Parliament Election in which it received the second highest share of the popular vote, defeating Labour and the Liberal Democrats with over two million votes. However he stepped down in November 2009 to concentrate on contesting the Speaker John Bercow's seat of Buckingham in the 2010 general election.

João Nuno Silva Cardoso Lucas (born 25 October 1979) is a Portuguese retired footballer.

A defensive midfielder, he was known for his aggressive style of play. After playing professionally in his country for two clubs, Lucas moved to Red Star Belgrade, being forced to retire shortly after at the age of 28, due to heart problems.

Born in Caldas da Rainha, Lucas began his career at Académica de Coimbra, making his first division debuts in the 1999–2000 season (two matches), and also being loaned twice to amateur sides, after which he returned to become an essential first-team member.

In 2004–05, Lucas signed with Boavista Futebol Clube, where he consistently performed during three seasons. On 3 February 2006, he scored his only goal for the northerners, in a 3–0 league home win against Associação Naval 1º de Maio.

In the 2007 summer transfer window, Lucas joined Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade. However, on 17 March 2008, he announced his decision to stop playing football. The 28 year-old had heart problems and the doctors told him he would risk his life if he continued playing. "This is the most difficult moment of my life but I have to thank everyone at Red Star who stood by me in the past two months", Lucas told in a news conference.