The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union between 28 European member states, including France, Germany and the UK (for now). It was established following World War II with the idea that an “ever closer union” would foster peace on the continent and deter states from going to war with each other once again. The signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957 formed the European Economic Community, which served as the foundation for what we know today as the EU. In 1992, the EU was officially formed by the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, thereby broadening its scope of responsibilities past what was outlined in the Treaty of Rome.
The EU is comprised of several major institutions and has a number of goals, including but not limited to:
-Promotion of peace
-Provision freedom, justice and security without internal borders
-Promotion of scientific and technological progress
-Maintenance of an economic and monetary union
Not only does the EU address economic and social issues, such as education, environmental protection and technological development, but it has established economic standards which all member states must maintain in order to promote economic stability throughout the Union.
The EU is important as it covers a wide range of policy areas to promote the wellbeing of the citizens of its member states. For example, EU membership allows certain freedoms. Such as the freedom of movement, may provide more obvious benefits to the individual, allowing citizens to travel freely through neighbouring countries without the need for visas. Whereas, free movement of goods and services feed back into the economy through lower prices and a large variety of high-quality products, as well as facilitating trade for domestic producers by eradicating trade barriers.
By Amelia Hacon
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