The European Union : An Important Part Of Europe

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.

In 1946, Churchill delivered speech at the University of Zurich at which he advocated for a “United States of Europe”. He was convinced that, following the Second World War, only a united Europe could guarantee peace. The ills of “nationalism and war-mongering” had damaged the continent long enough, and his goal was to eliminate them ("Winston Churchill: calling for a United States of Europe"). “We must build a kind of United Sates of Europe. In this way only will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living,” Churchill concluded. With this plea, Churchill became one of the first champions for European integration and became a driving force for the concept and a fighter for its cause.

The United Kingdom initially joined the European Union in 1973 for economic reasons hoping to promote trade and form relationships with other states in the Union. In 1975 the UK held its first national referendum on withdrawal from the European Economic Community. According to the poll,” 67 % of Britons voted to stay in the EEC and 32 % voted to leave the union” (GYE). Because of this result the UK stayed in the EU in 1975. Over the past 40 years the European Union has been through a lot of change, many more countries have joined the organization and the EU has extended its control over more aspects of daily lives. These changes have sparked a lot of controversy coming from both the UK public and

While the contributions of all member-states in the EU have been important and appreciated, the UK has brought a lot to the table that many other countries couldn’t. For example, the UK’s influence and the weight of just its name. For hundreds of years the UK has been powerful and if it had something to say, the world would listen. When the UK joined the EU it was a monumental victory for the existing member parties, because it meant that a powerful country, that could bring credibility and importance to a coalition previously lacking in both areas, would be joining their ranks.

The European Union was established as an economic and political partnership between 28 European Countries (European Union, 2015). The UK has been stayed in the EU for over four decades from 1973 to now. In 1975, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson had ever held a referendum on Britain’s membership in the EU and the voting result is to stay in the European Community. Recently, the article (BBC NEWS, 2015) reported that the UK has a plan to hold the second referendum by the end of 2017 to decide whether or not the UK should stay in or leave the European Union. This might be a significant referendum that may bring lots of impacts on the UK’s economy.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Winston Churchill called for the creation of a "United States of Europe" to bind France and Germany together. In doing so, he made clear that Britain would be a supportive but independent partner of any such entity. He famously said: 'We are with Europe but not of it." In the end, Britain did join the European Economic Community but only in 1973, 15 years after the Treaty of Rome was signed. We joined the Social Chapter in 1997, eight years after it was adopted by other member states. And we never signed up to Economic and Monetary Union or the Schengen Agreement on common borders. However, it is not until now that the British public have been presented with the

1955 saw the start of the Western European Union and talks began at Messina about a European Economic Community, the EEC. Britain maintained a strong opinion when referring to Europe and the EEC. This being scepticism, Britain didn’t take these plans very seriously. Such feelings were clearly displayed, when Britain didn’t even send an Ambassador to the Messina Conference. Instead, in keeping with their, thus far sceptical approach, only an observer was sent on the British behalf, rather than Foreign Sectary of State Harold MacMillan. Britain’s feelings hadn’t changed by 1957 when the Treaty of Rome, which created the EEC, which was signed by the six. Italy, France, Western Germany and the Benelux countries, but not by Britain.

The beginnings of what we know today as the European Union can be traced back to 1952, and the formation of the 'European Coal and Steel Community ' by the 'Inner Six ' founding member states. The ECSC was one of the first examples of a supranational union , designed to prevent the calamity of the two Great Wars from ever happening again. The ECSC later developed into the 'European Economic Community ' in 1967, before formally becoming the European Union (EU) in November 1993.

The European Union is an entity that is seen nowhere else in the world. It is not a government, it is not an international organization, and it is not just an association of states. The European Union members, instead, have decided to turnover part of their sovereignty to the Union so that many decisions can be made at the institutions leadership level. This partnership includes 28 diverse democracies built together on the basis of complex treaties. Although the goals of this organization were to assist with expanding economic prosperity, peace and stability throughout its member states, the European Union has been faced with ever-pressing concerns in the recent past that are very serious and may in fact become fatal to the continued coalescing between members. These problems can be categorized into three categories; economic, social, and political.

In the midst of an influx of migrants and an ongoing Euro crisis, the disunity of the current European union has become apparent. The implementation of a “United States of Europe” - a partially federalized system with a popularly elected president - has been proposed. The alternative to this system is the potential abandonment of the Euro, and consequently European integration altogether. In contrast, some argue that deeper political and fiscal integration is impractical, and that the existence of a United States of Europe is not within the political reality of various European states. The European Union as it currently exists is a half-hearted attempt at integration; both arguments ultimately advocate change. The existence of a United States of Europe would result in a detrimental loss of state sovereignty and presents an insurmountable challenge of unification on political, societal, and cultural levels.

The European Union itself is a powerful entity. From its beginning in the 1950 's, it was meant to be an economic, rather than political or militaristic means to spur prosperity. Its purpose is to allow the less restricted movement of capital and goods across the borders of European countries. Even more, a common currency eliminates the hassle and frustrations that come with international trade otherwise. Another benefit is the elimination of tariffs and other trade restrictions, which disappear with the imposition of common trade standards everywhere within the Union.

The European Union (EU) is a family of democratic European countries working together to improve life for their citizens and to build a better world. In just half a century it has delivered peace and prosperity in Europe, a single currency and a frontier-free 'single market ' where people, goods, services and capital can move around freely. It has become a major trading bloc, and a world leader in fields such as environmental protection and development aid.

It was Churchill who started the campaign for the unification of Europe, calling for a “United States of Europe” to be formed in response to the threat the Soviet Union posed post World War II . In 1949, the Council of Europe was formed in an attempt to create a European parliament that would help aid European integration, as a means to prevent the threat of a war arising between

Brexiters are desperate and angry with everything and everyone that suggests that the British people should vote to remain in the European Union in the 23 June 2016 referendum. The recent victim of their desperation and ire has been no less a personage than the US President Barrack Obama himself.

Brexiters are angry now, especially after US President Barrack Obama 's recent visit to the United Kingdom. They are so angry and troubled that they descended into ad hominem against the US president.