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The European Union (EU) is a unification of 27 member states united to create a political and economic community throughout Europe. Though the idea of the EU might sound simple at the outset, the European Union has a rich history and a unique organization, both of which aid in its current success and its ability to fulfill its mission for the 21st Century.

During the 1950s, the Cold War, protests, and divisions between Eastern and Western Europe showed the need for further European unification. In order to do this, the Treaty of Rome was signed on March 25, 1957, thus creating the European Economic Community and allowing people and products to move throughout Europe. Throughout the decades additional countries joined the community.

In order to further unify Europe, the Single European Act was signed in 1987 with the aim of eventually creating a "single market" for trade. Europe was further unified in 1989 with the elimination of the boundary between Eastern and Western Europe - the Berlin Wall.

Even though the countries of Europe had various treaties in place prior to the early 1990s, this time is generally recognized as the period when the modern day European Union arose due to the Treaty of Maastricht on European Union which was signed on February 7, 1992 and put into action on November 1, 1993.

The Treaty of Maastricht identified five goals designed to unify Europe in more ways than just economically. The goals are:

1) To strengthen the democratic governing of participating nations. 2) To improve the efficiency of the nations. 3) To establish an economic and financial unification. 4) To develop the "Community social dimension." 5) To establish a security policy for involved nations.

In order to reach these goals, the Treaty of Maastricht has various policies dealing with issues such as industry, education, and youth. In addition, the Treaty put a single European currency, the euro, in the works to establish fiscal unification in 1999. In 2004 and 2007, the EU expanded, bringing the total number of member states as of 2008 to 27.

In December 2007, all of the member nations signed the Treaty of Lisbon in hopes of making the EU more democratic and efficient to deal with climate change, national security, and sustainable development.

The first requirement has to do with the political aspect. All countries in the EU are required to have a government that guarantees democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, as well as protects the rights of minorities.

In addition to these political areas, each country must have a market economy that is strong enough to stand on its own within the competitive EU marketplace.

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An Overview of the European Union - About

Aureliu Ciocoi (Ambassador of Moldova to Germany)
"The Eastern Orientation/Policies of European Union and the European Orientation of Eastern Europe" A lecture by H. E. Amb. Aureliu Ciocoi (Ambassador of Moldova to Germany) The 2012 Cultural...

By: Berlin Global

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Aureliu Ciocoi (Ambassador of Moldova to Germany) - Video

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Reuters)

Speaking ahead of key talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry later on Tuesday, Lavrov indicated however that Russia was open to mending fences with the European Union.

"It goes without saying that we are not going to discuss some sort of criteria for the removal of sanctions," Lavrov told members of the Association of European Businesses in Moscow.

"Whoever introduced them should cancel them.

Citing estimates from the European Commission released earlier this year, Lavrov said the total damage from sanctions could cost EU taxpayers 40 billion euros ($50.6 billion) this year and 50 billion euros next year, and he suggested those figures could be revised up.

Lavrov, who is to discuss the Ukraine crisis with Kerry in Paris later in the day, said Russia was ready to put its European ties back on track.

"I think that no clear-headed person in Europe would dispute an idea that there is no sensible alternative to improving ties between Russia and the EU."

Lavrov added that Russia was keen to begin talks on the issue of creating a free trade zone with the European Union, a Kremlin-backed idea that has so far failed to gain much traction.

"We will be encountering obstacles in our efforts to deepen cooperation before we determine clear long-term goals for ourselves," Lavrov said.

Russia is facing its deepest period of international isolation since the end of the Cold War over its support for separatists in Ukraine, with Western sanctions dealing a blow to its already stuttering economy.

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Russia Won't Bow to European Union Demands Over Sanctions: Foreign Minister Lavrov

Thepchai Yong

The Nation

Publication Date : 14-10-2014

When the European Union (EU) announced it was downgrading its relations with Thailand to show its opposition to the military coup in late May, the reaction from many Thais was swift and harsh. The social media were swamped with nationalistic opprobrium, with some calling for a tit-for-tat response and others going as far as to say Thailand should shrug off any diplomatic pressure as it could easily live in isolation. A noted academic even urged the military junta not to kowtow to the EU, which he said was itself already becoming irrelevant because of its persistent financial crisis.

If anything, this particular episode illustrates one thing: Despite years of engagement between Thailand and the EU, Thais in general still have little understanding of the partnership that exists between them. The same is probably true with most other Asian countries, where the role of the EU is often under-publicised and only makes headlines when there are disputes.

For Thailand, it's unfortunate that the sudden turn in relations has come at a time when the EU is making vigorous attempts to enhance its ties with Asia. There are several reasons why pursuing stronger engagement with Asia is high on the agenda of the Europeans. Despite the distractions brought by its financial mess, the crisis in Ukraine, the civil war in Syria and the escalating threat of Muslim extremist group ISIS, European officials insist that the EU has not departed from its endeavour to forge closer ties in a wide range of areas in Asia.

In his recent speech, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said European and Asian economies are as interdependent as ever and that their interdependency goes beyond economic ties. While critics continue to call for a clearer and more coherent strategic direction in its engagement with Asia, there seems to be a general agreement among many analysts that much progress has been made since 2012, which EU policymakers described as a "pivotal" year. It saw an unprecedented series of high-level meetings and visits that culminated in the 9th Asia-Europe summit in Laos.

In recent briefings in Strasbourg and Brussels for Asian journalists, European officials emphasised that European engagement with Asia spans beyond traditional security and economic dimensions. Asean is now EU's third-largest trading partner and the action plan the two groupings adopted in 2012 has paved the way for a more comprehensive cooperation that incorporates people-to-people dimensions to cover areas like food security, human rights, disaster prevention, energy security, human and drug trafficking and urbanisation.

The EU has also engaged in a number of mediation activities in this region. It played an important role in the Aceh peace mediation process, which eventually led to the signing of the peace agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, ending years of bloodshed that had cost thousands of lives. The EU's sanctions against Myanmar's military government, though at times a source of conflict with Asean, are also credited for forcing its military leaders to embark on democratisation.

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What has Europe ever done for us?

Talk about internationalization in higher education has been front and centre in recent years. Embedded in that discussion is the argument that universities need to give their students more opportunities to experience different cultures first-hand.

As part of Dals efforts to give students those opportunities, the university has joined a new consortium.

"The Network Of America and Europa for Doctoral Mobility at UniversitieS" (NOVA DOMUS) is a research exchange program funded by the European Union through its famed Erasmus Mundus program. Led by the University of Barcelona, the exchange program involves a group of 12 top universities in Europe and North America and focuses on research collaboration in areas of medical sciences, natural sciences, and engineering and technology.

I am so pleased that Dal is a part of this initiative because it is a perfect fit with the objectives and proposed actions laid out in the universitys International Strategy, says Alain Boutet, Executive Director of Dals Office of International Relations.

While Dal currently has a multitude of exchange programs for its students, NOVA DOMUS stands out.

This is really a unique opportunity for Dals PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and research staff to work in a lab at one of the 11 partner universities, with travel and other expenses being covered," says Dieter Pelzer, associate dean of Graduate Studies. "Were excited to offer this kind of experience to groups that arent usually targeted in exchanges. Dal faculty will also benefit from hosting PhD students, postdocs and research staff from European partner institutions.

The intent is that the exchanges will allow researchers at Dalhousie to either expand current connections or forge new connections with collaborators at the partner universities.

Dal researchers are already collaborating with colleagues around the world. NOVA DOMUS provides a wonderful opportunity to support their collaborations with a highly respected set of European institutions, explains Pat Rodee, Director of International Research and Development at Dal.

Partner universities are:

The Faculty of Graduate Studies and International Research & Development within Dalhousie Research Services are working together to make the program a success.

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Dal joins European Unionfunded research exchange consortium