EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political organisation formed by twenty-seven democratic European countries.

Economically, the countries of the European Union
share common rules about agriculture, transport,
fishing and industry. Many European Union countries
use the euro as their official currency.
Politically, the citizens of any country in the EU can live,
study or work in any other country in the EU. EU citizens who have emigrated to another EU country, can vote and be candidates in municipal elections there. EU citizens can also participate in the European Parliamentary elections.

HISTORY EU
After World War II, the countries in Europe wanted to live peacefully together and help one another's economies. Instead of fighting each other for coal and steel, the first member countries (West) Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg created one European Coal and Steel Community in 1952.
In 1957 in the Italian city of Rome, the member countries signed another treaty and made the European Economic Community. Now it was a community for coal, steel and for trade. Later it changed the name to the European Community.

Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, los países de Europa querían vivir juntos en paz y ayudar a las economías de los demás. En lugar de luchar entre sí por el carbón y el acero, los primeros países miembros (Occidental) Alemania, Francia, Italia, Bélgica, Países Bajos y Luxemburgo crearon una Comunidad Europea del Carbón y del Acero en 1952.
En 1957 en la ciudad italiana de Roma, los países miembros firmaron otro tratado e hicieron la Comunidad Económica Europea. Ahora era una comunidad para el carbón, el acero y el comercio.

A person who is a citizen of the European Union can live and work in any of the 27 member states without needing a work permit or visa. For example, a French person can move to Greece to work there, or just to live there, and he or she does not need permission from an authority in Greece.

In the same way, products made in one member country can be sold in any other member country without any special permissions or extra taxes. For this reason, the members agree rules on product safety - they want to know that a product made in another country will be as safe as it would be if it had been made in their own.

The objective of the EU is to bring its member states closer together with respect of human rights and democracy. It does this with a common style of passport, common rules about fair trading with each other, common agreements about law enforcement, and other agreements. Most members share a common currency (the euro).

THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
The Parliament has a total of 705 members (called Members of the European Parliament, or MEP). They are elected in their countries every five years by the citizens of the European Union member countries.
The Parliament can approve, reject or change proposed laws. It also controls all the institutions of the European Union.
Strasbourg (France) is the official seat of the European Parliament.

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
The Council of the European Union is the main decision-making group. The cabinet ministers of the member countries meet (Ministers for Foreign affairs, for Agriculture, for Justice, etc.) and discuss issues that are important to them. Member countries with a large population (Germany, France...) have more votes than countries with small populations (Luxembourg, Malta....) but a decision cannot be made if enough countries vote against the decision.
It is based in the Europa building in Brussels.

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
The European Commission runs the day-to-day running of the EU and writes laws, like a government. Laws written by the Commission are discussed and changed by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
The Commission has one President and 27 Commissioners, selected by the European Council. The Commission President is appointed by the European Council with the approval of the European Parliament.
The Commission operates like a cabinet government. There is one Commissioner per member state, though Commissioners are bound to represent the interests of the EU as a whole rather than their home state. It is based in Brussels and Luxembourg.

THE COURT OF JUSTICE AND THE COURT OF AUDITORS.

The Court of Justice upholds European laws. The Court of Justice is made up of judges and advocate generals. There is one judge from each member state.
The Court of Auditors controls the money that the European Union uses. It ensures that EU money is used correctly.
It is based in Luxembourg.

The Eurozone (also called Euro area or Euroland) is the set of countries in the European Union which have adopted the Euro (€) currency. In January 1, 2002, the twelve countries of the eurozone started circulating the first bank notes and coins.
The European Central Bank is responsible for managing the supply of money within the eurozone and political decisions are taken by the "euro group", which is a meeting of the politicians from each euro country in charge of that country's economy.
Some countries of the European Union still use their own currencies, such as Sweden or Denmark.

CHALLENGES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Many important things have been accomplished, but the European Union continues to evolve in order to face the big challenges of the 21st century, such as:
Guarantee employment for young people who have lost their jobs because of the economic crisis.
Promote solidarity among EU countries with policies which allow the development of the poorest areas of the EU.
Support sustainable economic development which is respectful of the environment.
Promote cultural diversity among EU countries.
Encourage scientific and technological advancement in order to allow for the EU to continue progressing.