The European Union

The European Union is a unique international organization that combines features of a federal state, a confederal alliance, and a classical intergovernmental body. Its twenty-seven member states have delegated substantial legal and policy authority to Union institutions in areas such as trade, competition, agriculture, customs, and monetary policy for countries that use the euro. In other areas, including taxation, social policy, defense, and foreign affairs, cooperation remains closer to traditional intergovernmental diplomacy and typically requires unanimity among member governments.

The Union traces its institutional lineage to the European Coal and Steel Community of 1951, the European Economic Community and Euratom established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, and the full European Union created by the Maastricht Treaty that entered into force on November 1, 1993. Successive treaties, most recently the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, have refined the balance of competences between the Union and its member states, expanded the powers of the directly elected European Parliament, and introduced a permanent President of the European Council and a High Representative for foreign affairs.

The Union today has a combined population of roughly 449 million people and a combined gross domestic product that places it among the three largest economic blocs in the world alongside the United States and the People's Republic of China. Twenty member states have adopted the euro as their common currency, twenty-nine European states participate in the Schengen border-free travel area, and the single market guarantees the free movement of goods, services, capital, and persons across internal borders. The Union is governed through seven principal institutions and a dense network of agencies, advisory bodies, and codecision procedures.

The European Union is based in Brussels, with additional seats in Strasbourg, Luxembourg, and Frankfurt. It has observer status at the United Nations, is a full member of the World Trade Organization, and participates in the Group of Seven and the Group of Twenty through its own representation alongside member states. Its combined economic weight, single regulatory market, and unique blend of supranational and intergovernmental governance make the Union one of the most distinctive and influential political entities in contemporary international affairs.