Content area
Full Text
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries. The EU is the latest stage in a process of integration begun after World War II, initially by six Western European countries, to foster interdependence and make another war in Europe unthinkable. The EU currently consists of 27 member states, including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has helped to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent.
How the EU Works
The EU has been built through a series of binding treaties. Over the years, EU member states have harmonized laws and adopted common policies on an increasing number of economic, social, and political issues. EU members share a customs union; a single market in which capital, goods, services, and people move freely; a common trade policy; and a common agricultural policy. Nineteen EU member states use a common currency (the euro), and 22 members participate in the Schengen area of free movement in which internal border controls have been eliminated. In addition, the EU has been developing a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which includes a Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) and pursuing cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) on common internal security challenges.
Challenges Facing the EU
The EU is generally considered a cornerstone of European stability and prosperity, but the bloc is grappling with a number of internal and external challenges. The EU has demonstrated solidarity in responding to Russia's 2022 war against Ukraine, although the conflict has contributed to rising energy prices and inflation in the EU; the war also has galvanized debate on several long-standing EU initiatives, including in the areas of security and defense, energy and climate policies, and EU enlargement. Other key issues facing the EU include the lingering effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, democratic backsliding in some member states, the presence of populist and to some extent anti-EU political parties throughout the bloc, tensions with the United Kingdom (UK) following its exit from the EU in January 2020 (Brexit), ongoing migration concerns, and complex relations with China.
U.S.-EU Relations
Successive U.S. Administrations and many Members of Congress have supported the European...