Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The European Union (EU) was formally established in November 1993 as an organization of European countries dedicated to increasing economic integration and strengthening cooperation among its members. With its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the EU evolved from the formation of the European Community (EC) in 1967. At the time of its formation the EU had 12 member states, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU. More recently, membership has expanded by the admission of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia in 2004. The EU has a number of objectives. Its main goal is to promote and expand cooperation among member states in economics and trade, social issues, foreign policy, security and defense, and judicial matters. Another major goal has been to implement economic and monetary union (EMU), which established a single currency for EU members. While the EU is primarily concerned with economic harmonization, it has also influenced social and labor relations. The Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers (the Social Charter) was signed by all member states with the exception of the UK in 1989. Although the Charter has no legal force, it sets out a range of basic common ... log in or subscribe to read full text