European Union

BACKGROUND:

What is European Union?
The European Union or EU is an inter-governmental and supra-national organization, made up of European countries, which currently has 27 member states. The Union was established under the name the “Treaty on European Union” in 1992. However, many aspects of the EU existed before that date through a series of predecessor organizations, dating back to the 1950s.

Where did the EU get started?
The idea for forming the European Union was originally proposed on September 19, 1946, by Winston Churchill in a speech at Zurich University during which he called for a "kind of United States of Europe.” December 17 of that year, the European Federalists Union was set into place in Paris, France. The early United Europe Movement was created in 1947, and was in favor of intergovernmental cooperation as opposed to supranational control.

In 1948, the Western Union Treaty was signed by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was created. From 1950 till 1986 different councils and committees were created, certain treaties were signed, and finally this union evolved into tighter political alignment, eventually becoming the European Union on 1st November 1993.

Europe is a continent with many different traditions and languages, but also with shared values such as democracy, freedom and social justice. The EU defends these values. It fosters cooperation among the peoples of Europe, promoting unity while preserving diversity and ensuring that decisions are taken as close as possible to the citizens.

MEMBERS:
Eu has following member states:

Year
1957
members Belgium,France,Germany,Italy,Luxembourg
Total
6

Year
1973
members
Denmark,Ireland,United Kingdom
Total
9

Year
1981
members
Greece
Total
10

Year
1986
members
Portugal,Spain
Total
12

Year
1995
members
Austria,Finland,Sweden
Total
15

Year
2004
members
Cyprus,Czech Republic,Estonia,Hungary,Latvia,Lithuania ,Malta,Poland,Slovakia,Slovenia
Total
25

Year
2007
members
Bulgaria,Romania
Total
27


CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERSHIP:

Turkey, a member of NATO, with a long-standing association agreement with the EU, applied for membership in 1987. Its geographical location and political history made the EU hesitate for a long time before replying positively to its application. However, in October 2005, the European Council opened accession negotiations with Turkey. At the same time, it entered into negotiations with Croatia, another candidate country. No date has yet been set for the entry into force of any future accession treaty for these two countries at the end of the membership negotiations.

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A Man Would Do Nothing,
If He Waited Until He
Could Do It So Well
That No One Would Find Fault
With What He Has Done.

Why European Union was made?
Or in other words, What are the aims and objectives of EU.

1.To provide peace, prosperity and stability for its people;
i-e New structures to be created in western Europe, based on shared interests and founded upon treaties guaranteeing the rule of law and equality between all countries.

2.To overcome the divisions in the continent;
That is bringing Europe together:

3.To ensure that its people can live in safety;
The EU has to take effective action to ensure the safety and security of its members.
Making the EU an ‘area of freedom, security and justice’ where everyone has equal access to justice and is equally protected by the law is one of the objective of European union.

4.To promote balanced economic and social development;
EU countries account for an ever-smaller percentage of the world’s population. They must therefore continue pulling together if they are to ensure economic growth and be able to compete on the world stage with other major economies.


5.To meet the challenges of globalization and preserve the diversity of the peoples of Europe;
Europe’s post-industrial societies are becoming increasingly complex. Standards of living have risen steadily, but there are still significant gaps between rich and poor. Enlargement has widened the gap since countries have joined with living standards below the EU average. It is important for EU countries to work together to narrow the gap.

6.To uphold the values that Europeans share, such as sustainable development and a sound environment, respect for human rights and the social market economy.

The EU wishes to promote humanitarian and progressive values, and ensure that mankind is the beneficiary, rather than the victim, of the great global changes that are taking place.

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_____________________________________________

A Man Would Do Nothing,
If He Waited Until He
Could Do It So Well
That No One Would Find Fault
With What He Has Done.

What does the EU do?

~The European Union acts in a wide range of policy areas — economic, social, regulatory and financial — where its action is beneficial to the member states. These include:
i)Solidarity policies (also known as cohesion policies) in regional, agricultural and social affairs;
ii)Innovation policies, which bring state-of-the-art technologies to fields such as environmental protection, research and development (R & D) and energy.

~The Union funds these policies through an annual budget of more than €120 billion, which is largely paid for by the member states. It represents a small proportion of the EU’s collective wealth (a maximum of 1.24 % of the combined gross national income of all member states).

How does the European union work?

1.The Council of Ministers of the European Union, which represents the member states, is the EU’s main decision-taking body. When it meets at Heads of State or Government level, it becomes the European Council whose role is to provide the EU with political impetus on key issues.
2.The European Parliament, which represents the people, shares legislative and budgetary power with the Council of the European Union.
3.The European Commission, which represents the common interest of the EU, is the main executive body. It has the right to propose legislation and ensures that EU policies are properly implemented.


Some other features:

The European flag
The 12 stars in a circle symbolize the ideals of perfection, completeness and unity.

The European anthem
The melody comes from the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven. When this tune is used as the European anthem, it has no words.

Europe Day, 9 May
The ideas behind what is now the European Union were first put forward on 9 May 1950 in a speech by the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman.
So 9 May is celebrated each year as the EU’s birthday.
"United in diversity" is the motto of the EU.
The euro is the currency of 13 European Union countries:

__________________
_____________________________________________

A Man Would Do Nothing,
If He Waited Until He
Could Do It So Well
That No One Would Find Fault
With What He Has Done.

many many thanks for your helpful post....