Following the 2nd World War’s devastation, the EU’s founding fathers believed the best way to encourage peaceful European development was through building economic ties.
With the Treaty of Rome
, signed in 1957, 6 founding countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) created the European Economic Community
, that later became the European Union
Other Treaties and accessions followed this act.
Nowadays, the European Union (EU) gathers 27 European countries in an unprecedented experience of pulled sovereignty.
With approximately 500 million citizens, the EU is the largest trading bloc in the world.
The EU Institutions
The EU is made up of 5 principal institutions.
The European Commission
proposes laws to the Council and Parliament, manages their implementation and represents the common interests within and outside the EU. The 27 commissioners – 1 per country – are appointed for 5-year terms by the Council in agreement with national governments, and are confirmed by the European Parliament to which the Commission is answerable.
The European Parliament
votes on and scrutinizes implementation of the EU budget, considers the Commission’s proposals and decides together with the Council on a number of legislative decisions. The European Parliament is composed of members directly elected by European citizens for a 5-year term.
The Council of the European Union
(also known as the Council of Ministers) represents individual member countries through their own ministers. The Presidency rotates between member states every 6 months. The Council is the main EU decision-making body. The “European Council” gathers individual countries at the level of Heads of State and Government.
There are also the European Court of Justice
, which ensures the respect of the European Treaties and laws, and the Court of Auditors
, which examines the regularity of EU accounts.