European Union

The European Union is a political, social and economic, developed in Europe, which is composed of 27 countries. It is the result of a process of cooperation and
integration which began in 1951 between six European countries (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands). After fifty-five waves of accession
(1973: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom; 1981: Greece; 1986: Spain and Portugal; 1995: Austria, Finland and Sweden; 2004: Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland , Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary; 2007: Bulgaria and Romania), the European Union today has 27 member states. Currently (June 2007), three states have
candidate status: Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. The European Union mission is to organize the relations between Member States and
between their peoples in a coherent manner, backed by solidarity.

The main objectives of the European Union are:

• promote economic and social progress (the single market was established in 1993 and the single currency was launched in 1999);

• assert the identity of the European Union on the international scene (through humanitarian aid to non-member countries, a Common Security and Defence Policy;

• involvement in resolving international crises, common positions within international organizations);

• to establish European citizenship (which does not replace national citizenship but complements, offering a number of civil and political rights of European citizens);

• to develop an area of freedom, security and justice (linked to the internal market and in particular the free movement of persons);

• exist and strengthen under Community law (the body of legislation adopted by the European institutions, together with the founding Treaties);

Five institutions are involved in running the European Union: European Parliament (elected by the peoples of Member States), the Council of the European Union
(representing the governments of Member States), the European Commission (the executive body and the right to initiate legislation), the Court of Justice of the European
Community (which provides compatibility with Community law), the European Court of Auditors (responsible for controlling the use of Community funds). These
institutions are supported by other bodies: European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions (advisory bodies which assist the positions of
different social categories and regions of the European Union to be considered), the European Ombudsman (who deals with complaints from citizens about the
administration in Europe), the European Investment Bank (EU financial institution) and the European Central Bank (responsible for monetary policy in the euro area).