Free Essays on European Union

The political institution I have chosen for analysis is the European Union. My primary focus, area of research, and basic thesis is on the effect that the European Union has had on unity among its member states as well as Europe on the whole. It is my contention, supported by my research, that the inception of the European Union as an institutional system of collective governance of the region has led to a greater unity for member states and throughout Europe. By identifying certain trends I will show that there is reason to believe that the EU will gain a greater significance in both European and World politics, and that the current trends towards unity and integration will continue in the future. I will begin with some background information on the development of the European Union. The EU was established at the conclusion of the Second World War. The U.S. sponsored Marshall Plan of 1947 is commonly referred to as the precursor for the inter-state cooperation that led to the European Union. The plan was established as a financial aid in rebuilding Europe post World War II, and was also laced with U.S. hopes to create some element of cohesion between the nations of Europe to prevent future armed conflict. It was with this concept in mind that on May 9 1950 France officially proposed to create â€Å"the first concrete foundation of a European federation.† In response, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France formed the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, which resulted in a pool of Europe’s coal and steel industries. In my view, this is the first step toward European unity as a result of the forthcoming European Union. In 1957, the same six nations formed a joint atomic-energy group to create the European Economic Community (EEC) to remove tariff barriers between them-yet another example of early movements toward unity as a result of the soon to be European Union. Ten years later, in 1967, the E... Free Essays on European Union Free Essays on European Union The EU, Cultural Diversity, and the Death Penalth European Union The European Union’s influence in world affairs is on the increase. The process of integration, the launch of the euro and the progressive development of a common foreign policy are all providing the European Union with political and diplomatic status to match its undoubted economic and commercial clout. The European Union is currently engaged in its most ambitious enlargement ever. The aim is to reunite the European continent and thus to consolidate peace and democracy and enable its peoples to share benefits of progress and welfare generated by European integration. Pamphlet The European Union has many different cultures that are included under it’s name. Although there is much cultural diversity, the European Union tries to keep and maintain common goals and values while at the same time having each country keep it’s own distinct and personal identity. In Spring 1997 nearly 8 in 10 EU citizens held the view that it is a good thing for any society to be made up of people from different races, religions, and cultures. The idea of citizenship also implies a shared cultural identity. We often read or hear about how individualistic our society has become. Yet survey results indicate that Europeans are still very interested in their fellow citizens. More than 9 in 10 EU citizens feel that it is extremely or very important to help others and to value people for who they are. Furthermore, more than 8 in 10 Europeans believe it is important to be involved in creating a better society. These societal values are strong in each of the 15 member states. This concern for the respect of human rights worldwide is matched by renewed efforts to prevent any deterioration of standards inside the Union itself. This is partly being achieved through a charter of fundamental rights to provide a comprehensive code of common values with the ... Free Essays on European Union The political institution I have chosen for analysis is the European Union. My primary focus, area of research, and basic thesis is on the effect that the European Union has had on unity among its member states as well as Europe on the whole. It is my contention, supported by my research, that the inception of the European Union as an institutional system of collective governance of the region has led to a greater unity for member states and throughout Europe. By identifying certain trends I will show that there is reason to believe that the EU will gain a greater significance in both European and World politics, and that the current trends towards unity and integration will continue in the future. I will begin with some background information on the development of the European Union. The EU was established at the conclusion of the Second World War. The U.S. sponsored Marshall Plan of 1947 is commonly referred to as the precursor for the inter-state cooperation that led to the European Union. The plan was established as a financial aid in rebuilding Europe post World War II, and was also laced with U.S. hopes to create some element of cohesion between the nations of Europe to prevent future armed conflict. It was with this concept in mind that on May 9 1950 France officially proposed to create â€Å"the first concrete foundation of a European federation.† In response, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France formed the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, which resulted in a pool of Europe’s coal and steel industries. In my view, this is the first step toward European unity as a result of the forthcoming European Union. In 1957, the same six nations formed a joint atomic-energy group to create the European Economic Community (EEC) to remove tariff barriers between them-yet another example of early movements toward unity as a result of the soon to be European Union. Ten years later, in 1967, the E...