The European Union (EU) is an organization of 27 European nations.

Originally planned as an economic union to promote growth and cooperation, the EU now seeks to establish a political union as well. Fathers of EU - Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet
Motto - United in Diversity

Europe Day May 9

Official Languages 23 [Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish]

Facts

Currency - Euro () (EUR)

Flag description - a blue field with 12 fivepointed gold stars arranged in a circle in the center; blue represents the sky of the Western world, the stars are the peoples of Europe in a circle, a symbol of unity. Anthem - "Ode to Joy by Ludwig Van Beethoven

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Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy

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Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden UK

Member States

Following the two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany both economically and politically.
In May 9, 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when the six founding members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.

Background

The ECSC was created to manage the commercially and militarily important coal and steel industries. It was declared to be "a first step in the federation of Europe", starting with the aim of eliminating the possibility of further wars between its member states by means of pooling the national heavy industries.
It was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other elements of the countries' economies.

During the 1950s, the Cold War, protests, and divisions between Eastern and Western Europe showed the need for further European unification.
In order to do this, the Treaty of Rome was signed on March 25, 1957 (came into force in 1958) which extended the earlier cooperation within the ECSC and created the European Economic Community (EEC) or the Common Market, establishing a customs union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear energy; thus, allowing people and products to move throughout Europe.

The Treaty of Rome focused overwhelmingly on economic cooperation. It tried to create closer cooperation on a range of economic and trade issues from agriculture to overseas aid, commerce to taxation, but it also set out a wider political vision for 'an ever closer union' to 'eliminate the barriers which divide Europe.

In 1967, the institutions of all three communities (ECSC, EEC, Euratom) were formally merged into the European Community (EC) through the Merger Treaty which was signed in Brussels (Belgium), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the body known today as the European Parliament.

In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
In 1981, Greece became the 10th member of the EU and Spain and Portugal followed in 1986. In order to further unify Europe, the Single European Act (SEA) was signed in 1987 with the aim of eventually creating a "single market" for trade. It was the first attempt made by member states to amend the arrangements made under the Treaty of Rome.

The SEA's main effect was to set a deadline for the creation of a full single market by 1992.

The SEA swept away restrictive practices in a range of areas of private enterprise, as well as in the public sector. It also pursued deeper integration by making it easier to pass laws, strengthening the Parliament and laying the basis for a European foreign policy.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, both East and West Germany reunified in October 1990 and became part of the Community.
Deeper Integration: the processes whereby member states develop co-operation on more areas of policy.

On November 1, 1993, the Maastricht Treaty came into force which formally established the European Union (EU).
It introduced the co-decision procedure with the Council of the European Union. Through which, the Parliament was given more say in decision-making. It also developed the concept of European citizenship, and established the principle Subsidiarity: the principle that the EU of subsidiarity.
should act only when member states cannot act.

Co-decision: A structure that means that EU decisions must be taken jointly by the Parliament and the Council of the European Union

The Maastricht Treaty laid the bases for further forms of cooperation between EU governments in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union (euro) called the three pillars of the European Union.

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Economic Relations. Because most EU laws deal with economic matters among member states, several EU countries have pushed economic cooperation to such an extent that they have even created their own currency, the euro. To manage the euro, the EU established the European Central Bank.
Justice and Home Affairs. through this pillar, the EU states coordinate their policies to tackle immigration and drug trafficking and to cooperate more on border controls. Common Foreign and Security Policies. As part of this policy, the EU seeks cooperation in foreign policy and military matters.

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Three Pillars

In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15.
A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on January 1, 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all EU member states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of those 12 countries began using euro banknotes and coins.

Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia In 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined, bringing the membership to 27, where it stands today.
In the same year Slovenia adopted the euro, followed in 2008 by Cyprus and Malta, by Slovakia in 2009 and by Estonia in 2011. In July 2009 Iceland formally applied for EU membership. Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey are also applying for membership.

On December 1, 2009, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force and reformed many aspects of the EU.
In particular it changed the legal structure of the European Union, merging the EU three pillars system into a single legal entity provisioned with legal personality, and it created a permanent President of the European Council and a strengthened High Representative.

The EU has a complex government structure made up of bodies known collectively as the EU institutions. They are responsible for making EU laws, managing EU projects, distributing funds and deciding the future direction of the EU. They bring together elected representatives, members of national governments and European bureaucrats.

Institutions

The European Council became a formal institution of the EU following the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.
This institution is made up of the Heads of Government and State (HOGS) of the member states and the President of the Commission; and is headed by the President of the European Council. It meets for summits four times a year in Brussels, Belgium to discuss the direction of EU policy and any controversial issues which may arise. It has often driven the EU's agenda forward by signing constitutional treaties and making proposals for reform.

The European Council

Qualified Majority Voting (QMV): a voting rule in which larger countries have more votes than smaller ones and no country has a veto.

Decisions in the European Council are made unanimously. This reflects the intergovernmental roots of the organization.
When agreement cannot be reached, the council tries to reach a qualified majority.

Until 2009, the Presidency of the European Council passed between all the governments of the EU on a six-month rotation; when a country held the Presidency, its head of government was the President.

Intergovernmental: a form of international organization where governments work together to achieve shared goals.

However, the Lisbon Treaty established a permanent President of the European Council.
The President must be a non-head of government and serves a 2 year term, which can be extended to 5 years. He represents that EU on the world stage. The European Council publishes conclusions after its meetings, calling for specific initiatives that the Commission and Council of the European Union are expected to pursue. The European Council has been responsible for launching or approving virtually every significant European policy since its inauguration, including the reunification of Germany, the accession of new states, and the selection of countries for the single currency.

The current and first permanent president is the former Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy.

The Council of the European Union (sometimes just called the Council and sometimes still referred to as the Council of Ministers) is the institution in the legislature of the European Union (EU) representing the executives of member states.
The Council is composed of twentyseven national ministers (one per state). The exact membership depends upon the topic; for example, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the twenty-seven national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area (with the related European Commissioner contributing but not voting).

The Council of European Union

The number of votes that each country has in the Council broadly reflects the size of their population (vote allocation is, however, weighted in favour of smaller countries).
Ministers will often avoid a vote by consensually agreeing to a policy. If a vote is needed, QMV is used. Member states take it in turns to hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU for 6months. When a country holds the 'rotating' Presidency, its head of government is the President and is responsible for chairing Council meetings.

The current (20112012) trio consists of Poland (which took up the position July 1, 2011), Denmark (which will take over in January 2012) and Cyprus (will take over in July 2012).

The Commission was set up under the articles of the Treaty of Rome (1957) giving it wide ranging de facto powers which it has expanded as the authority of the EU has spread.
It is the EU's permanent administration and most of the executive power in the EU resides with this institution. At the head of the Commission are 27 Commissioners, one from each member state. They are appointed every 5 years, within 6 months of European Parliament elections. Each Commissioner is responsible for managing EU policy in a particular area - such as foreign policy, environment, education, transport, and so on.

The EU Commission

The Commissioners should act in the interest of the EU as a whole, independently of national governments.
The president of the European Commission is designated by member state governments and confirmed by the European Parliament. Members are appointed by the president and is also approved by the European Parliament.

The current President is the Portuguese Commissioner, Jos Manuel Barroso.

The most important role of the Commission is to propose and enforce legislation. By law, the Council of the European Union cannot pass legislation unless it is proposed by the commission. It represents all the members collectively in the negotiation of treaties and the enlargement of the EU and ensures that treaties are being followed.
Ensures that EU legislation is implemented. Most of the policy implementation is handled by the memberstates but the Commission oversees the entire process. When members don't implement EU law, it can take legal action against them.

It has the financial powers to draft the EU budget and distribute EU money to member states.

Functions of the Commission

It helps varying sides (like governments, companies, interest groups, or individuals) reach compromises when they have a dispute. It also mediates differences between other institutions of the EU.
It represents the EU as a negotiating unit in trade negotiation such as those with the WTO. It sits in on all decisions made about common foreign and security policy and justice and home affairs policy.

The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected EU institution and, as such, is seen as providing democratic legitimacy for the EU.
Originally created as an appointed body under the Treaty of Rome in 1957, it became a directly elected body in 1979. It represents the electorate's interests in discussions with the other EU institutions. However, it does not have the powers of a normal national parliament in that it cannot propose new legislation: it can only discuss, propose amendments, and vote to accept or reject laws proposed by the Commission.

The European Parliament

In order for a new EU law to pass, it to have the support of both Parliament and the Council of European Union (co-decision under Maastricht Treaty).

has the the the

The Parliament also has the power to accept or reject Commissioners when they are nominated by member states, and to sack the entire Commission through a vote of censure which was given under the Single European Act.

The Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, as well as having offices in Luxembourg. MEPs are elected under proportional representation to represent regions; The number of MEPs each country has, reflects its population.
EP elections are held every five years, and every EU citizen who is registered as a voter is entitled to vote.

The present parliament, elected in June 2009, has 736 MEPs.

The Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, as well as having offices in Luxembourg. MEPs are elected under proportional representation to represent regions; The number of MEPs each country has, reflects its population.
EP elections are held every five years, and every EU citizen who is registered as a voter is entitled to vote.

The present parliament, elected in June 2009, has 736 MEPs.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) do not sit in national blocks, but in seven Europe-wide political groups.
Main Political Groups

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European People's Party (EPP): the main centre-right group. 264 members.
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D): the main centre-left and socialist group. 185 members.

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Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE): the main liberal and centrist group. An amalgamation of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, and the centrist European Democratic Party. 85 members. Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA): a mixed grouping of environmentalists, regionalists and nationalists. 55 members.

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European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR): newest right-wing party which is a breakaway group of the EPP and opposes their proEuropean stance. 56 members. Confederal Group of the European United Left (GUE)/Nordic Green Left (EUL/NGL): a far left and Communist grouping. 35 members. Europe of freedom and democracy Group (EFD) a group of staunch nationalists and Eurosceptics. 27 members.
The largest of these are the European People's Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democracts (S&D).

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The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is the court that implements EU law.
In areas covered by EU law, it is the highest court in the EU, outranking national supreme courts. The Court is made up of one judge from each member state, supported by eight AdvocatesGeneral, who deliver legal opinions on each case. All members of the Court are nominated by their national governments and serve for six-year terms.

The European Court of Justice

Cases are usually heard before chambers of three to five judges, with full plenary sessions only being held for exceptional cases.
The Court has a President, currently Vassilios Skouris, who was elected by all the Court judges in 2003. Unlike the United States Supreme Court, ECJ judges do not serve for life and there is no record of dissenting opinions.
Dissenting Opinion: US Supreme Court Justices issue judicial opinions that oppose the majority verdict. These can be used as precedent in future trials.

Plenary Sessions: sessions where the full court of judges sits to hear a case.

The Court's jurisdiction in EU law falls mainly in: failure of a member state or EU body to fulfil its treaty obligations, or the judicial review of laws passed by EU bodies and preliminary rulings on cases handed up by national courts. The General Court works alongside the ECJ, although it is an independent court. Its primary role is to hear all actions brought by individuals, while the ECJ focuses on institutional disputes and those between member states.

The ECJ makes its rulings binding on nations and citizens via the principles of EU law known as Direct Effect and Supremacy. Through these principles it has gained powers that were previously the reserve of nation states.
The workload of the ECJ has increased from 79 cases in 1970 to over 2,000 in 2010.

In 2010, the ECJ passed 95 judgements against member states for failing to fulfil their obligations, including 4 against the UK.
In 2010, the ECJ completed 574 cases. The General Court dealt with 2,463 cases in 2010.
Supremacy: the principle that EU law is superior to national laws when the ECJ has jurisdiction.

Direct Effect: the principle that EU law creates rights for individuals that must be upheld by national courts.