What is the European Union

What is the European Union?

It  is an Economic and Political Partnership involving 28 European countries. It began after World War II to foster economic co-operation, with the idea that countries that trade together are more likely to avoid going to war with each other.

It has since grown to become a "single market" allowing goods and people to move around, as if the member states were one country. It has its own currency, the euro, which is used by 19 of the member countries. It has its own parliament and it now sets rules in a wide range of areas - including  the environment, transport, consumer rights.

Brexit

Brexit 

“What does it mean ‘to leave the EU’?”

Leaving the EU can mean many things depending on the arrangement. The British had a referendum (a vote on a single decision) to decide whether the people wanted to be part of the EU or leave the EU. The vote to leave was won by 52% to 48%. Britain agrees with the rest of the EU to leave by the end of summer 2019. It means EU law is unlikely to be deemed generally more important than UK law, although the more elements of the European trading system Britain signs up to, the greater the role Brussels(Belgium) will still have in Britain’s affairs — even though the UK will no longer have any influence in setting policies for the whole of the EU.

The Currency

Currency 

The currency in Europe is the Euro and is used by 19 of the 28 member states of the European Union. The “Eurozone” is a geographic and economic region that consists of all the European Union countries that have fully incorporated the euro as their national currency. It is also referred to as "euroland". It includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium,  Cyprus,  Estonia,  Finland,  France,  Germany, Greece,  Ireland,  Italy,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Luxembourg,  Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia,  Slovenia,  and Spain.

There are 9 countries that have chosen to keep their own currencies: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland,  Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom never converted its pound sterling to euros, preferring to stick with its higher value currency. Then in the summer of 2016 after a national referendum it  left the EU altogether,  leaving only 8 Member states that still use their own currency. One of the reasons they may not be yet using the euro is because before joining the Eurozone, a state must spend two years in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
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what is the EU

What is the European Union?

How was the European Union Formed?

In 1951, six countries founded the European Coal and Steel Community which included: Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Later, in 1957, it expanded its economic range as the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community.   In the next half a century a further 22 countries have joined and the name changed to  European Economic Comunity (E.E.C.). In 2004, there was a historic expansion  marking the reunification of Europe after decades of division and the name changed again to the most  recent version: the European Union  (EU).

A&D

Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Member of the European Union  

In the list below you see   how the European countries have negotiated this agreement to the mutual benefit of all parties:

Advantages

1. Tax-Free Trading Among Members
One of the biggest benefits that are offered to the member countries of the EU is that they are free to trade with other members at no additional taxation. This helps to keep prices of goods and food down in these countries.

2. Opens Up More Opportunities
Movement between all of the countries in the EU is completely free and open for all citizens. This opens up many more job and education opportunities for people. Especially ones who are in poor countries.

3. Culture Is Not Lost
The EU has never had an “official language” and doesn’t interfere with the cultural aspects of any country. This helps to ensure that, while you are part of the union, you are also your own country.

4. A Common Currency
All of the member countries of the EU have the same type of currency, the euro. This makes doing business, traveling or moving to other countries, and buying things much simpler. It also creates a sense of unity among the countries.

5. No Conflict Between Nations
There are strict guidelines followed for any issues that occur within the EU. This prevents any of these countries from getting into large political or economical problems with one another and promotes peace throughout the continent.

In spite of the many benefits the union is not without some disadvantages, which I list below:  

1. Communication Barriers
It becomes very difficult for the EU to communicate with all of it’s citizens because they all speak different language. This also impact the feeling of unity among it’s members. It makes it harder to bring people together.

2. Shared Wealth Is Not Always Good
Large and wealthy countries that are members of the European Union, like Germany, have to share their wealth with much smaller and poorer countries. This prevents any one country from becoming too powerful, which is a bad thing for countries that have the ability to become world leaders.

3. Leaving Is A Problem.

Once a country decides to join the EU, it is extremely difficult for them to leave it. This makes many people uneasy from joining, because if it negatively effects their country, there is little that they can do about it.

4. Discriminates Against Potential Members

In order to join the European Union, you must be a part of Europe. Europe’s borders are largely undefined, which gives the EU the power to pick and choose who they would like to join the union.

5. Takes Power From Governments

The European Union has power over the government in these countries. This means that if they do not like a political leader, they can simply kick them out of office. It is very simple for this to breach the lines of corruption and cause major problems in government sectors.

6. Serves The Interest As A Whole, Not A Country

The policies, decisions, and rules set in place by the European Union are not there to protect the best interest of each individual country. Instead, their goal is to advance the EU as a whole. This has caused many damages in smaller countries, that are often left unheard.

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