European Union

8 Pages 2004 Words

EC officially becomes what is known as the European Community (EC). Between the years of 1973 to 1986 the EC saw the enlistment of six more states; Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. Finally in 1991, the twelve members signed a treaty in Maastricht, Netherlands that turned the European Community into the present day European Union.
The European Union is based on the rule of law and democracy. It defines itself as neither a new State replacing existing ones, nor as comparable to other international organizations. The member states delegate sovereignty to common institutions representing the interests of the Union as a whole on questions of joint interest. The principal objectives of the Union are to establish European citizenship, ensure freedom, security and justice, promote economic and social progress, and assert Europe’s role in the world. From this I draw that the basic premise of the European Union is integration and unity, because without it the EU will never be able to achieve the aforementioned objectives.
While the inception of the euro stands out as the most obvious component of the move towards unity between member states, it is still important to recognize the significance of it’s contribution to integration. To date, the euro is the most striking example of the European Unions role in fostering a sense of unity in the region. It was thought by many that the EU would never see the day that it’s member states would forfeit their own currency, and all that that stands for, in a mass investment of trust in the system, and yet that is exactly what we have seen. What’s more, a notable fa...