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Tam Metin
ABSTRACT
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) to forge common internal security measures.
Member states work together through several EU institutions to set policy and to promote their collective interests.
Challenges Facing the EU
The EU is generally considered a cornerstone of European stability and prosperity, but it faces a number of internal and external challenges. Managing the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its economic repercussions is preoccupying EU leaders' time and attention. Other key issues for the EU include democratic backsliding in some member states (including Poland and Hungary), the presence of populist and to some extent anti-EU political parties throughout the bloc, managing relations with the United Kingdom (UK) following its exit from the EU in January 2020 (Brexit), ongoing political and societal pressures related to migration, and a range of challenges posed by both Russia and China. Many of these challenges could have implications for the EU's future shape and character.
U.S.-EU Relations
Successive U.S. Administrations and many Members of Congress have supported...