Information about the european union its objectives ,what does it do?

Matt

The European Union, as it is known today, was founded in 1993, and is mainly concerned with government functions of the European continent. Cooperation amongst countries of Europe has been heavily valued since the end of WWII (at least on the western side; eastern nations were united under the umbrella of the Soviet Union), based on the principle of "interdependence", which suggests that if countries trade and become "dependent" on one another, they will avoid armed conflict.

Legally, the European Union is (arguably) the only entity in the world that can be classified as "supranational", which means that its governing bodies can create binding laws and legislation for entire countries without their vote/consent. So, if by majority a new law passes in the EU legislating body that French citizens do not agree with, they are still bound to adhere to its language.

To accomplish economic gains, the EU has promoted several policies to erase borders in many senses. Once, to travel through Europe meant carrying a passport and dealing with customs officials at every crossing point. Today, under the EU, passports and customs are unnecessary, as each EU citizen may travel freely amongst participating states. This helps Europeans on vacation, obviously, but more importantly it helps workers that must travel from one country to the next due to the duties of their jobs. Another concept of economic growth includes the very important free trade, which eliminates tariffs (taxes on traded goods) between cooperating states. EU members also share policies on matters like fishing rights, with the goal of ensuring that all members and citizens are equal under the law.

Another very important aspect of the EU is the 'Euro', which is their currency. Though not all countries in Europe use the Euro (i.e. UK), a significant number of members in continental Europe do, which again helps promote trade and interdependence. Additionally, it has allowed Europe to strengthen their common currency on the world stage, making it more competitive in many respects.

If you need additional research, I would encourage you to check out the EU's website in English, or some scholarly publications. Wikipedia might be decent, too, but double-check the sources and facts.

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