The European Union (EU), developed from the European Community, is a regional integration organization that integrates political and economic entities and has important influence in the world. 19911February, the European Community Maastricht Summit adopted the Treaty of European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty (hereinafter referred to as the Maastricht Treaty). 1 993165438+1October1,the Maastricht Treaty came into effect and the European Union was formally born. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
1957 On March 25th, six European countries signed the establishment of the European Economic Community in Rome, Italy.
Treaty of Rome.
1946 In September, British Prime Minister Churchill proposed the establishment of a "United States of Europe". 1950 on may 9th, then French foreign minister robert schumann (1886- 1963) proposed the establishment of a European coal-steel joint venture on behalf of the French government. This initiative was echoed by France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. 1951April 18, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg signed the Treaty on the Establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (also known as the Paris Treaty) in Paris. 1952 On July 25th, the European Coal and Steel Community was formally established. 1957 On March 25th, these six countries signed the Treaty on the Establishment of the European Economic Community and the Treaty on the European Atomic Energy Community in Rome, collectively known as the Treaty of Rome. 1 958 65438+1October1,the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community were formally established. 1On April 8, 965, the Brussels Treaty signed by six countries decided to merge the institutions of the three communities and called it the European Community. However, these three organizations still exist separately and have independent legal personality. The Brussels Treaty came into effect in July 1967, and the European Community was formally established. After 1973, Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Spain and Portugal joined the European Community one after another, and the membership expanded to 12.
EC 12 established a customs union, unified foreign trade policies and agricultural policies, established a European monetary system, and established a unified budget and political cooperation system, which gradually developed into a spokesperson for the economic and political interests of European countries. 1991121The Maastricht Summit of the European Community adopted the Treaty of European Union, also known as the Maastricht Treaty (hereinafter referred to as the Maastricht Treaty), aiming at establishing the European economic and monetary union and the European political union. 1 993165438+1October1"Mayo" came into effect, and the European Community was renamed the European Union. This marks the transformation of the European Community from an economic entity to an economic and political entity. 1995, Austria, Sweden and Finland joined, and the number of EU member States expanded to 15. After the founding of the European Union, the economy developed rapidly. From 1995 to 2000, the economic growth rate was 3%, and the per capita GDP rose from 197 to 1900. The EU's total economic output increased from about 6.7 trillion dollars in 1993 to nearly 10 trillion dollars in 2002.
On June 8th, 2002,165438+1October 65438, the EU 15 foreign ministers' meeting decided to invite Cyprus, Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia to join the EU. On April 6, 2003, at the EU Summit held in Athens, Greece, the above-mentioned 10 countries formally signed the accession agreement. On May 1 day, 2004, these 10 countries officially became members of the European Union. This is the fifth enlargement in the history of the European Union, and it is also the largest enlargement. From June, 5438 to October, 2007, Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union. After six expansions, the European Union has become the strongest and most integrated national union in the world, covering 27 countries with a total population of over 480 million and a gross national product of 12 trillion US dollars. & gt& gt
In July 2003, the plenary session of the Preparatory Committee for the Constitution of the European Union reached an agreement on the EU flag, national anthem, inscription and celebration day. According to the draft constitution, the flag of the European Union remains the current blue background and the pattern of 65,438+02 yellow stars. The song of Union is an ode to joy in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with the inscription "Pluralism", and May 9th is "Europe Day".
The main publications of the EU are: Official Journal of the EU, Monthly Report of the EU, European Literature, European News-Foreign Relations and European Economy.
The EU flag: 1986 was officially hoisted on May 29th. The national flag has a sky blue background with 12 golden stars on it, representing 12 member States of the European Union. The purpose of making the Olympic flag is to show that we want to build a unified Europe and enhance people's impression of the EU and their sense of European identity.
The emblem of the European Union: 1988 1,1was put into use in October. The bottom of the emblem is blue, and the 12 stars on it form a circle, symbolizing the 12 member States of the European Community, with the names of the member States in the middle of the circle.
"European girl"
The unified currency of the European Union is the euro, which was officially launched in June 1999+ 10/. In addition to Britain, Greece, Sweden and Denmark, 1 1 countries became the first euro countries in 1998. At 0: 00 on June 65438+1 October1day, the euro was officially circulated. As of June 2008, there were 65438+ 10/,and there were 1 5 member countries in the euro zone. The expansion of the euro zone has added variables to its monetary policy, and the per capita GDP of EU countries is quite different. Europeans are keen to log on to the website to search for the whereabouts of the euro, and the new euro coin pattern has been determined.
The main organizations of the EU are:
-The Council of Europe, the EU Summit, is the highest decision-making body of the EU. It is composed of heads of state or government of EU member states and the President of the European Commission. The chairman of the Council is rotated by member States for a term of six months. The order is basically arranged according to the letters of country names written in their own languages. The EU summit is mainly responsible for formulating "general political guiding principles", and its decision-making adopts the principle of consensus. Since 1975, the EU summit has held a formal meeting every six months, and a special meeting when necessary. At present, the EU summit is held twice a year. In the first half of 2008, the current rotating presidency of the European Union was Slovenia.
-The Council of European Union is the decision-making body of the EU, which consists of the EU summit and the Council of Ministers. The Council has a rotating presidency: each country has a term of six months. The "Troika" representative system is implemented abroad, which is composed of representatives from the current presidency, the next presidency and the European Union institutions. The EU summit is the highest decision-making body of the EU, responsible for deciding major policies. It is composed of heads of state or government of member countries, and holds a summit meeting during each rotating presidency, and a special summit meeting as appropriate. The Council of Ministers of the European Union is responsible for daily decision-making and has the legislative power of the European Union. Composed of foreign ministers or professional ministers of member States. Among them, the foreign ministers' meeting is called the "General Council", which deals with foreign relations and overall policies and meets once a month. The daily office of the Council includes: the Committee of Permanent Missions, which is composed of ambassadors and deputy ambassadors of EU member States and holds regular meetings every week; The Political and Security Committee is the "axis" for dealing with the EU's common foreign and security affairs. It is composed of representatives of all EU member States (at the ambassadorial level), representatives of the European Commission and representatives of the Secretary-General of the Council, and implements the rotating presidency system and the "troika" representative system. The Secretariat consists of the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General, and consists of the Secretary-General's private office, a legal department and eight general departments. Solana is the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. He mainly assists the presidium in coordinating the common position of member States and represents the EU in international occasions. Voting mechanism of the Council of Europe
August 20, 2004, Barroso (front row, fifth from the right) and
Other new members of the Brussels Council of Europe.
Group photo of EU Economic and Trade Diplomatic Building. The new Council of Europe
Members are composed of 25 representatives from different member countries.
-The European Commission is the executive body of the EU, responsible for implementing EU treaties and Council decisions, proposing legislative motions to the Council, supervising the implementation of EU regulations, representing the EU in foreign relations and economic and trade negotiations, and sending missions abroad. Collective leadership and majority voting system are implemented. The Committee consists of 1 Chairman (Barroso), 5 Vice-Chairmen and 27 members. Members are recommended by member governments and agreed by the European Parliament for a term of five years. There are 37 comprehensive departments or specialized service offices under the Committee. Headquartered in a cross-shaped building at 200 Law Street, Brussels, Belgium. Barroso, the current president of the European Commission, took office in June 2004.
-The European Parliament is the legislative, supervisory and advisory body of the European Union, and its status, role and power to participate in decision-making are gradually expanding. The parliament building is located in Strasbourg, France, and the parliament secretariat is located in Luxembourg; Since 1979, members of the European Parliament are elected by direct universal suffrage of member States for a term of five years. The current Speaker is Hans-Gert Patrin, a senior German parliamentarian, who was elected in June 5438+ 10, 2007.
European Union Headquarters Building
In addition, EU institutions include the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Audit in Luxembourg.
—— The European Court of Justice is the arbitration institution of the European Union, which is responsible for hearing and adjudicating all kinds of disputes in the implementation of EU treaties and relevant regulations. At present, there are 15 judges and 9 prosecutors, who are jointly appointed by member governments.
-The European Court of Audit is responsible for auditing and financial management in the EU. The Audit Institute was established in 1977 and consists of 12 people.