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The European Union (EU)

A peaceful Europe the beginnings of cooperation


The European Union is set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours, which culminated in the Second World War. As of 1950, the European Coal and Steel Community begins to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace. The six founders are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The 1950s are dominated by a cold war between east and west. Protests in Hungary against the Communist regime are put down by Soviet tanks in 1956; while the following year, 1957, the Soviet Union takes the lead in the space race, when it launches the first man-made space satellite, Sputnik 1. Also in 1957, the Treaty of Rome creates the European Economic Community (EEC), or Common Market. Member countries

Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands

Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom Candidate Countries Croatia The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Turkey Iceland Potential candidate Countries Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 Montenegro Serbia

How the EU Functions


Because the European Union has formed over time and is constantly adding new members, its methods of operation continue to evolve in order to incorporate the varied needs of its members. The EU is currently comprised of several governing bodies and institutions. Below are sites that cover both the EU at large, and the various organizations within it.

Objectives
A thorough review of the EUs programmes for employment and social affairs concluded that the Commission should be more effective in its operations, undertake more strategic planning and be more focused in its activities. In response to this evaluation, the Commission has developed a strategic framework in order to apply a more strategic and participatory approach to implementing PROGRESS. The Strategic Framework is an important internal management and accountability tool with two important functions: setting out PROGRESS's strategy and assessing PROGRESS's contribution to achieving the Social Agenda goals. It is also a living document that will continue to evolve as new opportunities arise and others are exhausted or take lower priority. The Strategic Framework sets goals that PROGRESS must attain outcomes both in

the near future and longer term, the contribution that it can make and how we will work with our partners to undertake these objectives. It follows a logical chain where the ultimate outcome determines what intermediate and then immediate outcomes we will seek to reach during the programmes lifecycle of 200713. The immediate outcomes must be achieved for the intermediate outcomes to be attained, and so on. Performance measurement is crucial to making the EU and Member States accountable for the policies and actions they take. The Framework thus also gives a set of performance indicators that we will use to assess whether PROGRESS has reached its targets and supplied its products.

North American Free Trade Agreement

History of NAFTA: NAFTA is short for the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA covers Canada, the U.S. and Mexico making it the worlds largest free trade area (in terms of GDP). NAFTA was launched 15 years ago to reduce trading costs, increase business investment, and help North America be more competitive in the global marketplace. As of January 1, 2008, all tariffs between the three countries were eliminated. Between 1993-2007, trade tripled from $297 billion to $1 trillion. Member of NAFTA: Canada Mexico United States

Objectives of NAFTA

Eliminate customs barriers and facilitate cross-border trade in goods and services .

Guarantee conditions of equitable competition in the free trade zone

Substantially increase investment opportunities in the three member countries

Provide for the protection and adequate application of intellectual property rights in each country

Adopt efficient implementation, joint administration and dispute settlement procedures

Improve trilateral cooperation to extend the benefits of the agreement.

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