The European Union

The European Union is a unified trade and monetary body of 27

member countries. Initially, it was a purely economic union, which has
evolved into an organization that handles many issues, from the
environment to providing development aid. The open border allows the
free flow of goods and people, except for random spot checks for crime
and drugs. The EU has delivered more than half a century of peace,
stability and prosperity, helped raise living standards and launched a
single European currency: the Euro. The EU is governed by the
principle of representative democracy, with citizens directly
represented at EU level in the European Parliament and Member States
represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU. The
European Parliament, which represents the people, shares legislative
and budgetary power with the Council. The European Commission,
which represents the common interest of the EU as a whole, is the EU’s
main executive body. It puts forward proposals for legislation and ensures
that EU policies are properly implemented.
In 1950, the concept of a European trade area was first established.
The European Coal and Steel Community had six founding
members: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the
Netherlands. In 1993, the Treaty of Maastricht established the European
Union common market. In 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon increased the
powers of the European Parliament. It gave the EU the legal authority to
negotiate and sign international treaties. It increased EU powers, border
control, immigration, judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, and
police cooperation. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and
human rights in Europe.
To become a member of the EU, a country must incorporate into its
laws respect for these values. In addition, these values must also be
commonly practiced by the country’s society. Article 7 of Treaty of
European Union provides for the suspension of certain rights of a
member persistently breaches the EU’s founding values.
 FACTS
1. EU was created firstly as the Coal and Steel Community, to bring
together the most important European producers so that an economic
unity could bring a political unity.
2. Most of the countries of Europe that were not Communist became
members of the European Economic Community.
3. By the 1990’s, the European Economic Community had become
aware of the fact that people as well as products should be able to
move freely between countries; that pollution was an issue that could
not be tackled by individual countries, and that security issues such
as terrorism, drugs and human trafficking, etc.
4. The main security goal of the European Union was to make war on
the European continent not possible.
5. In the 1990’s European citizens had got more opportunities to
travel, to work, to study, etc.
6. Communism fell and gave opportunities for Europe itself to unite
or to further integrate.
7. In this period appears the term globalization that characterizes it.
8. The European Union is founded on the values of respect for
human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, the rule of law and
respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to
minorities.
9. To become a member of the EU, a country must incorporate into
its laws respect for these values. In addition, these values must also
be commonly practiced by the country’s society.
10. Article 7 of Treaty of European Union provides for the suspension
of certain rights of a member persistently breaches the EU’s founding
values.