The Chinese Effect : Europe

At the end of World War 2, most countries in Europe were in a wreck. Cities were decimated and economy was failing, it was the time to rebuild. The European Union was an effective way to help Europe rebuild. The EU first started as just a common market for steel and coal, but quickly grew into a union of countries united as one. It is a great opportunity for countries in Europe as the it was created for the sole purpose of preserving peace and preventing another World War on the rebuilding continent. The EU is also very beneficial to countries as it has the best economy in the world, for the peace efforts and the ability to support its members.

The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political partnership between 28 different countries. It consists of about half a billion citizens, and its combined economy represents about 20 percent of the world’s total economy (Briney, 2015). Today The European Union works as a single market, with free movement of people, goods and services from one country to another. There is a standard system of laws to be followed, and since 1999 many countries share a single currency called the Euro (Europa.eu, 2015). This essay will explore the background history of the European Union and the benefits and drawbacks of the European Union.

The countries of the European Union today are France, the three Benelux countries, United Kingdom, Cyprus, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Latvia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Romania.

The EU has its own currency called the euro which 19 of the 28 European states use. It is run by members of the European parliament, these members set rules that cover a wide range of areas such as rules on transport and business. Once a state becomes a member of the European Union they have a right to withdraw from the Union under the Treaty on the European Union. Article 50 in the Treaty on European Union states, “Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements." If the United Kingdom votes to leave the Union, they would be the first state to ever withdraw their membership.

1946 in a speech in Zurich after WWII, did Winston Churchill call for “kind of United States of Europe” (Coe.int, 2014). 1951 the ECSC is established by Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Six years later in 1957 does the Rome treaty sets the start of the EEC the beginning of the european common market and the EURATOM (atomic energy community). In 1961 does Britain in fellowship with Denmark and Ireland apply for membership to the EEC but it is not until 1973 when the approval has been granted hence to Charles de Gaulles veto (News.bbc.co.uk, 2014).

It is apparent that the states within the EU have a lot in common. In terms of political, social and economic goals, all states are heading in a similar direction. Furthermore the number of common policies is ever increasing, with a common civil service, a common European Security and Defence Policy and a supreme court, EU unification is very apparent. However each EU country is primarily interested in maintaining

The start of Europe going towards a union had begun after World War II. The French gave an invitation to European countries served as the basis of a European Union. 9 countries have accepted the invitation: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. Then it expanded and increased by accepting European countries that want to join; Denmark, Ireland and the U.K. in 1973, Greece in 1981, Spain and Portugal in 1986, and Austria, Fenland and Sweden in 1995. Now it has 28 countries.

In this report, I will discuss why and how the Single European Market was set up, its failures and successes how it works and its recent changes. Today, The Single European Market (SEM) otherwise known as the (Internal Market) grants people and businesses with the privilege to trade and move openly across borders within the EU. This has had a huge impact on the world we live in today it altered the way European live, travel, work, study, and do business. The concept of setting up a European single market is to bring unity to the EU; this includes money, goods, people, and services to collaborate freely to expand competition and trade.

The European Union (“EU”) is an economic and political vehicle between 28 European countries, including the United Kingdom, that allows national governments to pursue shared and national interests. The United Kingdom became a Member State in 1973. The EU was born out of a quest for peace following the devastating effects of World War II. To that end, six nations signed the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty, in 1951, to share their coal and steel resources. This agreement was subsequently replaced by the European Economic Community (“EEC”), which was eventually renamed the “European Community” (“EC”). The EU, which was created by the Maastricht Treaty, replaced the EC when it formally came into being in 1993 following ratification of the Treaty of the European Union (“TEU”) by Member States.

The European Economic grew bigger with up to 31 countries joining the ECA having limited rights for each country. The treaty had plans on building a common market in 1957 this came into reality in 1958 with the creation of a customs union along with the Single European Act (SEA) in 1957. ‘They declared in its preamble that signatory state was determined to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe’. This confirmed a political objective of a progressive political interrogation from the member of states.

The European Union was formally created in 1993, but its roots reflect back all the way to the end of World War II. Its first priority was to form an economic union that consisted of members dependent on each other for trading purposes to avoid potential conflict. Now this political and economic union has developed into a representative democracy aimed to govern its current members (“The EU in brief” n. pag.).

Since the World War II, the creation of regional economic blocs has become an essential political remedy that gathers countries and nations rather than divide. Essentially, the creation of the economic regional blocs aims to minimize the obstacles between nations that share the same geographic border and to facilitate the circulations of goods and services. In fact, the regional trading blocs differ in terms of political structure and economic objectives, but the rapidity of trading goods and services within the different regions around the globe wouldn 't be possible without establishing unified political and economic units. For example, the European Union (EU) as other regional blocs gathers different countries that share the same geographical borders and differ in cultures, languages, and political systems. Actually, the differences and similarities between the various political structures and economic objectives are due to numerous factors such as history, culture, and the level of imports and exports to each country. However, the impacts of the regional trading blocs have some disadvantages that have negative impacts on the local economies of the regional blocs and on the global economy as well.

The Euro is the common currency of the European Monetary Union (EMU). The national currencies of the participating countries were replaced with Euro coins and bills on January 1, 2002. The countries that participate in the Euro Monetary Union (EMU) are Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, and Finland (http://europa.eu.int/eoro/entry.html). These countries irrevocably established the conversion rates between their respective national currencies and the euro and created a monetary union with a single currency, giving birth to the euro. Euro banknotes and coins entered circulation on 1st January 2002.

European Union, a great and developed regional organization, has name and fame over worldwide for its free market

“From time to time it is worth reminding ourselves why twenty-seven European nation states have come together voluntarily to form the partnership that is the European Union.” 1