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The European Union

    For centuries, Europe was the scene of frequent and bloody wars. In the period 1870 to 1945, France and Germany fought each other three times, with terrible loss of life. A number of European leaders became convinced that the only way to secure a lasting peace between their countries was to unite them economically and politically.

    Today the end result of that idea is The European Union (EU); an alliance of 25 nations that has changed the face of Europe. This union has been so successful that it has created a new superpower in the world. (It used to be that the only two superpowers were the USA and the USSR – but after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 there was only one superpower – the USA). The EU is now a economic and political superpower that competes with the USA.

    The 25 European Nations that make up the European Union now share the same currency: The Euro. Before the Euro was introduced the dominant currency in the world was the US dollar. At first people were skeptical of the Euro, but after it was introduced on January 1, 2002, it has become one of the leading currencies in the world. Today more Euros are traded every day than US dollars, and the value of the Euro continues to grow as compared to the US dollar.

    Traveling around Europe is much easier because of the European Union. It used to be that travelers were stopped at each border to have their passports checked as they traveled between countries. Now, people can travel throughout Europe with ease. It is kind of like the United States now; when we travel around the US we don’t have to stop at each state border and have our passport checked. This ease of travel helps European citizens as well as businesses, who can ship products freely between European Union Members.

    Also people who live in EU nations can freely work in other EU nations. For example an Englishman can live and work in Germany, or an Italian citizen can live and work in France. This was impossible just 10 years ago. It is similar to the USA. A New Yorker can move to Texas and work there without any special papers or permission. The same is true of Europe today; it is kind of like “The United States of Europe”.

    The 25 European Union nations have about 500 million citizens (the US has about 300 million), which makes the EU the third largest “country” in the world (behind China and India). Because of this size the EU has become an important economic force in the world. If a US company wants to sell its products in the European Union, they have to abide by the rules and regulations of the EU.

    The EU began after WW II as an economic union between six coal and steel producing nations in Europe. This economic union was successful and grew into other economic unions. Now the EU has its own parliament, military, and various organizations and committees that help maintain cooperation and trade between the EU member nations.

    Things have changed quite a bit since the days of WW I and WW II. The same nations who used to fight and kill each other (England, Germany, France, Italy, etc.) are now bound together economically, politically, socially, and militarily. The chance of these nations going to war again is very slim.