Семёнова О.Э.

Уфимский юридический институт МВД РФ, Россия

The European Union.

The European Union (EU)is the most economically and politically successful UNION of countries in the world. The European Union (EU) is a political and  economic union  of  28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It  has  an  area of 4,324,782 km2 (1,669,808 sq mi), and an estimated population of over 510 million. The EU has developed an internal single  market through  a standardised system of  laws that apply in all member states.This sort ofunion affects not only the countries within the EU, but also those outside it. The European Union is most likely the wisest and most reasonable union ever. It’s a well-known fact that people over there never complain of having a bad life, however they have different points of view about this fact.


Being the subject of public international law, the Union has the power to participate in the international relations and the conclusion of international agreements. Formed common foreign and security policy, calls for a coherent foreign and defense policy. Around the world, the EU established permanent diplomatic missions, there are offices in the United Nations, the WTO, the Group of Seven  and  the  Group of  Twenty. The EU delegation was led by EU ambassadors.

The idea behind EU creation was not only to cement an economic union for the advantage of the nation states which formed it but also to stop the constant cycle of wars in Europe between its great nations. I would suggest that both these objectives have been achieved.

The EU is the largest society with common ideas, plans, democratic regimes, economies etc, where people successfully cooperate each other. All of these are positive factors. Even though there surely must be difficulties of living is such huge society; these are overcome with tolerance and understanding.

European Union Member States is the countries that are members of the European Union, whose aim is the integration of the European states, consisting in a single economic market, the absence of passport and visa control, the use of a common currency. The EU can become a member country corresponding to the Copenhagen criteria. From 1 July 2013 in the Union consists of 28 states.

Actually, some of the EU countries were formerly from the USSR proper or from the socialist block. Back in that time they were completely separated from the rest of Europe by the so called Iron Curtain and had undemocratic regimes of a backward nature. Whereas now, twenty years since the fall of the Iron Curtain, all countries of the EU are considered equally democratic. Never mind the past and its problems, people in Europe are free, happy, delighted, and can expect a decent salary, medical care and social services.

Citizens of the EU can travel freely from one country to another. The movement of a working force in this manner is good for the economy. Of course, a union of so many countries is also very profitable economically when it works properly.

Most of the EU countries use the same currency; their laws are harmonized and so on. Due to this, an EU government can have some control over economy and in times of crisis protect it so that it doesn’t fall. This we have seen recently, the different governments have acted like one in order to promote growth and come out of the recession. These attempts were successful and we see the European economy growing again as national and central authorities support each other.

Which countries belong to the EU?


The EU has grown steadily from its six founding members to 28 countries. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed up to the EEC, or Common Market in 1957. Britain, Ireland and Denmark joined in the first wave of expansion in 1973, followed by Greece in 1981 and Portugal and Spain five years later. Eastern Germany joined after unification and Austria, Finland and Sweden became part of the EU in 1995. The biggest enlargement came in 2004 when 10 new member countries joined. Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007 and Croatia was latest to sign up in 2013.

Howdoesthe EU work?

 

There are four key institutions which work together to run the EU - the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the Court of Justice. Watch the video to find out how they fit together and what they do.

 

Whatdoesitallcost?

TheUK'sestimatednetcontributionin 2015 was £8.5bn - accordingtoTreasuryfigures. Eachcountryreceivesmoneybackfromthe EU tosupportdevelopmentandotherprojects. The UK alsogets a rebate, ormoneyback, onitscontribution, becausemuchofthebudgetisspentonagriculturalsubsidiesandthe UK doesnotgainnearlyasmuchasothercountrieslikeFrance. Afterallrepaymentsweretakenintoaccountin 2015, Britaincontributedabout 12.6% oftheentire EU budget. Germanypaidthelargestshare, 21.36% andFrancewasthesecond-biggestcontributorat 15.72%.

Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages in the EU. For example, since EU is a cosmopolitan society, people may find it hard to put up with each other’s behavior, languages, customs, traditions etc. However, European citizens are given the protection of charters OF human rights and social security previsions, so this makes them really free to live their lives in peace and security.

 

In my opinion, the EU should accept all the countries of Europe such as Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belorussia and may it be that one day all these nations be counted amongst its member states. Even Russia at some time in the future should also take its rightful place in a unified Europe as another European member. However, some of these countries have some economical and political issues which must be resolved first.

 

 

Source:
1.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union
2.
https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/eu-in-brief_en
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zgjwtyc