One way of looking at Belgium's divide is as a counterpart to the EU's split between a Germanic, frugal north and a subsidy-dependent Latin south.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

In 2011, it split the EU over its staunch opposition to military action in Libya.

WSJ: Syria Debate Illustrates EU's Foreign-Policy Weakness

EU, the authors split selected member countries into two groups: the core and the periphery.

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

With further disputes over bank capital laws also creating a significant split among EU states, the U.K. could well find itself prospering from the general economic malaise.

FORBES: Countries That Thrive On A Weak European Union

The revelation, made on Monday, shows a split among the EU bloc's 27 members.

BBC: Half of EU members 'oppose China solar tariffs'

The split in the EU reflects the gap between richer European countries and those that rely most on EU funding.

BBC: EU budget summit: Cameron demands further cuts

The country has been split between politicians who have strong EU ambitions, and those who lean more towards Russia - with ECR group leader Michal Kaminsky saying that the EU should not let Ukraine "drift to the east".

BBC: Debate on Ukraine

Last week, the EU approved the plans for Northern Rock to be split in two.

BBC: High Street banks to be broken up

Mr Meshal also points to a split in the peacemaking Quartet of the EU, Russia, the UN and the United States.

ECONOMIST: Palestine and Israel

If it refuses, the coalition could split, and the patience of other EU members with British recalcitrance would be severely tested.

ECONOMIST: Britain and Europe: No laughing matter | The

Croatia and its neighbor have been at odds over a number of political and territorial issues since both split from Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and since Slovenia become an EU member in 2004.

NPR: To Join EU, Croatia May Give Up Its Wine