The European Union's achievements

947 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Foundation of the European Union

The European Union, which was established in 1993, is currently consisting of 28 states. Its origin was taken back after the World War II when the six founder including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands aim to end the wars between neighbors. The six countries agrees to merge the Organization European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and Euratom into a European community (EC), which then fully transformed into the European Community in 1993(Boyd A., 2007). Meanwhile, from 2000-2009 is a period that the EU is on the big expansion which 10 more countries joined the Union in 2004 (Boyd A., 2007).
Since its establishment in 1993, it has achieved many goals especially free area, the cohesion policy, and single market.

The European continent was a continent that has been recognized as the continent where most war has occurred during the 19th century. According to Oceña J. (2003), the European has experienced the second world catastrophe, World War II, which then resulted in the idea of the European integration and reorder. There were three main reasons behind the idea of European integration. First, the European aware of their own darkness in which they are afraid that another war will start. Meanwhile, the US and Soviet Union gained so much power after the war and the European are afraid of sudden invasion from the two countries. Second, the European continents was used as the battlefield during the two world wars, particularly between France and Germany, therefore the two countries must comprise as well as other European states. Third, many Europeans desire peace, prosperity and developed international relations between states (Oceña J., 2003). After many forms of p...

... middle of paper ...

...e European Union at work and its major achievements. Retrieved from Kingdom of Belgium website: http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/european_union/european_institutions/actions_and_realisations/
[Accessed: 10/January/2014]

• European Commison (Foreign Affairs): 20 years of the single market together for new growth. (2012, March 08). Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/20years/singlemarket20/facts-figures/what-is-the-single-market_en.htm
[Accessed: 10/January/2014]

• Elles, J. (2009). European Union: Achievements worth celebrating. Retrieved from http://www.jameselles.com/2012/10/european-union-achievements-worth-celebrating/
[Accessed: 10/January/2014]

• European Commison (Economic and Financial Affairs): Why the Euros?. (2013, September 04). Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/euro/why/index_en.htm
[Accessed: 10/January/2014]

Show More
Related

  • Autonomy and Political Responsibility after the Cold War

    2605 Words  | 6 Pages

    After World War II, Europe emerged as a continent torn between two very different political ideologies, Communism and Democracy. As the two major superpowers, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States, struggled to defend their respective governmental policies, the European Continent was caught in an intrinsic struggle to preserve the autonomy which had taken so long to achieve. During the Cold War, Eastern European nations struggled to achieve autonomy with the help of the West's dedication to break the Soviet sphere of influence. After the disintegration of the USSR, the struggle for autonomy among nations shifted from an intense, inward, nationalistic struggle to break away from a superpower to a commitment of international unity and cooperation as nations began to take moral and political responsibility for their actions.

    Read More

  • European Union Dbq

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prutha Patel Mr. Lougheed Social Studies 09 February, 2016 Has Europe United? Do you believe that the European Union has united Europe? A supranational cooperation is when countries give up some control of their affairs as they work together to achieve shared goals. The European countries have used supranational cooperation to create the European Union because they want to prevent future wars, and rebuild the weak economy that had formed after the two wars. The European Union has united Europe because it has made Europe have a common currency called the Euro, has a common “government” for the European Union, and has all of the countries influenced when one country that is part of the European Union is in “trouble”.

    Read More

  • Global Power Dbq

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the mid 18th century many different powers in Europe were trying to spread their influence and gain global power. However, this was not without difficulty. There were many regional issues that these powers needed to overcome such as economic complications, struggles with native and conquered peoples, and competing with other European powers.

    Read More

  • Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    2 Charles S. Maier, ed., The Cold War in Europe: Era of a divided Continent (New York: Markus Wiener Publishing, Inc., 1991) 27.

    Read More

  • The Benefits Of The European Single Market

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    To start with, what is the meaning of the Single Market? According to European Commission website, Single Market indicates the EU as one territory that has no internal borders or any other controlling complications that lead to the free movement of booth services and goods (The European Single Market - European Commission, 2017). According to the same source, single market has great benefits. It encourages competition and trade, increases efficiency, promotes quality, as well as helps in cutting the prices. In addition, the same source considers the European Single Market as one of the EU’s ultimate accomplishments that powered the economic growth and made the everyday life of European businesses and consumers easier (The European Single Market - European Commission, 2017).

    Read More

  • The Main Strengths and Weaknesses of the Major Powers of 20th Century

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Main Strengths and Weaknesses of the Major Powers of 20th Century At the beginning of the 20th century the five main powers in Europe

    Read More

  • Is the EU Democratic?

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...: Reassessing Legitimacy in the European Union. Journal of Common Market Studies, 40 (4), pp. 603-24.

    Read More

  • Is the EU Democratic?

    1425 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thomassen, J. 2009. The Legitimacy of the European Union after Enlargement. In: Thomassen, J. Eds. The Legitimacy of the European Union after Enlargement. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 67-86.

    Read More

  • Contemporary Widening of the European Union

    3125 Words  | 7 Pages

    ...2013, March). Arguments for and against EU enlargement. Retrieved November 3, 2013, from Debating Europe: http://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/infobox-arguments-for-and-against-eu-enlargement/#.UoLA9_mkoQ0

    Read More

  • The Changing Role of NATO After the Cold War

    6373 Words  | 13 Pages

    (1) After the end of World War II, all involved countries, with no exception of being victorious or defeated, have started seeking of the prevention of a new disaster by reconstructing and maintaining the security and peace primarily in Europe. All huge and disastrous events (such as World Wars) which affected whole world were originated from the uncomfortable conditions and conflicts in the continent. Thus the main task was to settle a mechanism that would eliminate any emerging threat against the continental security and maintain the order and peace. For this purpose, in 1949 West European countries established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in order to protect the member countries against any possible attack which was primarily expected from the East European Countries led by the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, NATO’s primary goal was to circumvent any aggression held by the iron-curtain countries. Military deterrence (by developing high-tech and nuclear weapons and locating them to the eastern frontier of the Alliance, Germany and Turkey) was the main strategy in preventing any large-scale attack from the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. By the end of Cold War many debates were made and still is going on whether the Alliance completed its mission in the territory. In spite of all, The North Atlantic Treaty has continued to guarantee the security of its member countries ever since. Today, following t...

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Irish Membership of the European Union

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    The European Union stands on the threshold of unparalleled change over the coming years. The next waves of enlargement will be unprecedented in nature and continental in scale. This process has gained so much political momentum that it is now irreversible.

    Read More

  • Power And Weakness

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    Europe has been militarily weak since World War II, but it remained unnoticed because of the unique geopolitical context of the Cold War: it was the strategic pivot between the United States and the Soviet Union. With the "new Europe", in 1990s, everybody agreed that Europe will rest...

    Read More

  • Is Regional Policy Really Needed?

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hübner, Danuta. "EU Cohesion Policy 1988-2008 Investing in Europe's Future." Info Regio 26 (2008): 1-36. Print.

    Read More

  • The European Union

    5913 Words  | 12 Pages

    •     The European Commission says that the Single Market has helped create 2.5 million new jobs and generated €800 billion in additional wealth since 1993

    Read More

  • The Enlargement of the European Union

    2128 Words  | 5 Pages

    The enlargement of the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 has been termed as the largest single expansion of the EU with a total of 12 new member states – bringing the number of members to 27 – and more than 77 million citizens joining the Commission (Murphy 2006, Neueder 2003, Ross 2011). A majority of the new member states in this enlargement are from the eastern part of the continent and were countries that had just emerged from communist economies (EC 2009, Ross 2011), although overall, the enlargement also saw new member states from very different economic, social and political compared to that of the old member states (EC 2009, Ross 2011). This enlargement was also a historical significance in European history, for it saw the reunification of Europe since the Cold War in a world of increasing globalization (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). For that, overall, this enlargement is considered by many to have been a great success for the EU and its citizens but it is not without its problems and challenges (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). This essay will thus examine the impact of the 2004/2007 enlargements from two perspectives: firstly, the impact of the enlargements on the EU as a whole, and thereafter, how the enlargements have affected the new member states that were acceded during the 2004/2007 periods. Included in the essay will be the extent of their integration into the EU and how being a part of the Commission has contributed to their development as nation states. Following that, this essay will then evaluate the overall success of the enlargement process and whether the EU or the new member states have both benefited from the accessions or whether the enlargement has only proven advantageous to one th...

    Read More

More about The European Union's achievements

Open Document