European Union

The European Union (previously known as the European Community or European Economic Community) is a unique economic and political partnership among 27 European countries. The EU is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and has a mission to build peace, stability, equality, and prosperity to the European continent and the world. The EU is managed by the European Commission (EC), which has representation from each of the EU member states.

The EC is responsible for establishing EU legislation, policies, strategic planning, and providing the daily operational personnel for the EU. Beginning with six member countries in 1951—Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands—the EU has since grown to include Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, ...