In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty was signed, which paved the way for the creation of the EU. With its entry into force on November 1, 1993, the EU was created with 12 member states: Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Portugal and Spain.

The Maastricht Treaty is better known as the European Union Treaty, since with it, the path that would lead to the entry into circulation of the common European currency, the euro, began in 2002.

The negotiations for the Maastricht treaty were born with the will to realize among the member states of the Community, an integration in the economic policy sector, through a strong economic alignment of the member countries, through the introduction of a single European currency.

In June 1992, through a referendum, Denmark said "NO" to the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty. Meanwhile, in France, the Maastricht Treaty, put up for referendum, received only 50,4 percent of the vote: a half-victory and a stopping blow for Europe. But despite all these difficulties, the Maastricht Treaty moved forward, political solutions were sought based on the results of the Danish referendum, and little by little the "no" of the French was overcome.

The Maastricht Treaty was officially signed by the ministers of foreign affairs of the member countries on February 7, 1992, in a small town in the Netherlands, from which it got its name, near the border with Germany and Belgium. But, the Maastricht Treaty, immediately after its signing, did not have an easy life. Precisely because it marked an important step forward in the process of European integration, some countries did not receive it well, especially the "European" countries.

From the importance it had and the foundations it laid, it can be said that it went much further than the economic objective, which the Community had defined at the beginning. It marked a new stage in the process "of a continued closer union between the peoples of Europe", thus clothing the economic objective with a political spirit.

With its entry into force on November 1, 1993, the European Union was created with 12 member countries of the Community, which were: Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain. The number of members would increase to 15 in 1995.

Otherwise, the roots of the EU date back to the end of the Second World War. The goal of the Founding Fathers was to ensure that the carnage and destruction of World War II would never happen again.

On May 9, 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented a plan for enhanced cooperation, with which the process of integration of the old continent began.

Based on the program introduced by Schuman, six countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) signed an agreement in 1951 to jointly manage their respective coal and steel industries.

Given the success of this initiative, the six countries decide to expand cooperation in other sectors. Thus, the Treaty of Rome that established the European Economic Community (EEC) was signed in 1957, with the aim of free movement of persons, goods and services.

In 1973 the EEC was expanded to three more countries: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Six years later, for the first time the citizens of these countries directly elected members of the European Parliament who had previously been appointed by national parliaments.

In February 1992, the Treaty on European Union was signed in Maastricht, which lays down precise rules regarding single currencies, foreign policy and cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs. According to the Maastricht Treaty, the name EU replaces that of the European Community.

In 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU. Thus, the member states become 15 and include almost all of Western Europe. In March of the same year, the Schengen Agreement enters into force in seven countries. Since then, travelers of any nationality can move to the countries that join them without showing their passport at the borders.

In 2002, the 12 euro banknote arrived. Two years later, eight Central and Eastern European countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary) join the EU, ending the division of the continent established by the great powers sixty years earlier. seen. Cyprus and Malta also join the Union and, in 2007, Bulgaria and Romania are added.

In 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon officially entered into force in order to enable the EU to deal with global challenges and to give greater powers to the European Parliament.

On July 1, 2013, Croatia became the 28th member state of the European Union. After Slovenia, it is the second of the six former Yugoslav republics to join the European Union. Great Britain meanwhile withdrew from the EU through the BREXIT process, making the EU today count 27 member states.

The main institutions of the EU are: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission.

European Parliament   

It is elected every five years by the people of the European Union to represent their interests. The main task of the European Parliament is to approve European laws based on the proposals presented by the European Commission. The European Parliament shared this responsibility with the Council of the European Union. The Parliament and the Council also have joint powers to approve the EU's annual budget. The main meetings of the Parliament are held in Strasbourg (France) and others in Brussels (Belgium).

European Council 

It consists of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States, together with its President and the President of the Commission. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security also participates in the work of the Council. The European Council determines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union, the Council does not exercise legislative functions. The meetings of the European Council are held twice every six months, and are called by its President. If necessary, the President invites the Council to special meetings. The mandate of the President is two and a half years, and can be renewed only once. The European Council usually holds its meetings in Brussels.

Council of the European Union 

It is the main decision-making body of the EU. Together with the European Parliament, it bears responsibility for the adoption of EU laws. The Council of the EU consists of the ministers of the national governments of all EU member states. Ministers responsible for the topic being discussed participate in the meetings. Every six months, a different member state takes over the presidency of the EU, which means chairing these meetings and drawing up the overall political agenda. The next presidency does not apply to the Foreign Policy Council which is chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security.

European Commission 

It is the executive body of the EU and represents the interests of the EU as a whole. It compiles proposals for new European laws which it presents to the European Parliament and the Council. It implements common EU policies and manages EU funds and programmes. The Commission also plays the role of "guardian of the treaties" making sure everyone respects EU treaties and laws. It can act against violators of the rules, sending them to the European Court of Justice if necessary. 

The commission consists of 27 commissioners – one for each EU member state. The President of the Commission is elected by the 27 EU governments and approved by the European Parliament. The other commissioners are appointed by their national governments in consultation with the incoming president and must be approved by the European Parliament. They do not represent the governments of the countries they come from. Each of them is responsible for a certain area of ​​EU policies. All of them are appointed for a five-year term.