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Twice in the twentieth century, competition between France and Germany had been major factors in turning Europe into a charnel house. The war in Europe 1939 - 1945 produced death and destruction on a scale never before seen. As many as 60 million dead and just about every major European city damaged.

The first step on the road of European Union was taken in 1950, just five years after the end of WWII, with the creation of The European Coal and Steel Community. The objective as stated by the then French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, was to make, "any war between France and Germany...not only unthinkable but materially impossible." At the time the coal and steel industries were the basis for military power.

In the last 50 years The European Coal and Steel Community of six member states has evolved into The European Union of 27 member states. This deepening and widening of the EU has seen the creation of a single market for goods, services and jobs; a single currency; a European legal system; a directly elected European Parliament and a European defense identity.

By some estimates, the economic integration brought about by the EU has seen economic growth within the Union 0.5 percent per annum higher than it would have been without the existence of the EU. Considering that the EU generates 31 percent of the world's nominal GDP (US$16.6 trillion) in 2007, this is a considerable achievement.

The Treaty of Lisbon, currently being ratified by the member states and due to come into force 1 Jan 2009, will give the EU a permanent president and a foreign minister. Previously EU foreign policy has been characterized by its simplicity. The main leverage that the EU had was to accept or reject a country's application to join. Any country wishing to join must meet the Copenhagen criteria. These require a stable democracy, which respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy capable of competition within the EU and the acceptance of the obligations of membership.

As there are many benefits to EU membership, especially for poorer countries, this lever has been used to good effect in post cold war Europe to cement democracy and peace in former communist states. Many of which are now members of the EU.

There is no doubt that the EU is far from perfect, its democratic deficit and the apparent remoteness of its bureaucracy being obvious points. But overall, European Union has served the people of Europe well, helping to produce a peaceful, stable and prosperous Europe, quite unlike its previous history.

Learn more about this author, T J Neale.
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