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12 godz. temu · European Union (EU), international organization comprising 27 European countries and governing common economic, social, and security policies. The EU was created by the Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force on November 1, 1993. The EU’s common currency is the euro.
History and purpose. Why a common currency. An economic and monetary union (EMU) was a recurring ambition for the European Union from the late 1960s onwards. EMU involves coordinating economic and fiscal policies, a common monetary policy, and a common currency, the euro.
The institutions of the European Union are the seven principal decision-making bodies of the European Union and Euratom governed under the Treaties of the European Union and European Union law. They are, as listed in Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union :
The main legal acts of the European Union come in three forms: regulations, directives, and decisions. Regulations become law in all member states the moment they come into force, without the requirement for any implementing measures, [h] and automatically override conflicting domestic provisions.
The EU treaties declare the Union to be based on representative democracy, and direct elections take place in the European Parliament. The Parliament, together with the Council, form the legislative arm of the EU. The council is composed of state governments, thus representing the intergovernmental nature of the EU.
EU countries. Find out more about EU countries, their government and economy, their role in the EU, use of the euro, membership of the Schengen area or location on the map. EU enlargement. Enlargement happens when new countries join the European Union.
The EU is governed by the principle of representative democracy, with citizens directly represented at the EU level in the European Parliament and Member States represented in the European Council and the Council of the European Union.
