Read the text and say in a few words the main points of the text

The European Union (the EU) is a family of democratic countries, committed to working together for peace and prosperity. It is not a State intended to replace existing states, but it is more than any other international organization.Its Member States have set up common institutions to which they delegate some of their sovereignity so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at European level.

The historical roots of the European Union lie in the Second World War. The idea of European intergration was conceived to prevent such killing and destruction from ever happening again. It was first proposed by the French Foreign Ministеr Robert Schuman in a speech on 9 May, 1950. This date, the “birthday” of what is now the EU, is celebrated annually as Europe Day.

In the early years, much of the cooperation between the EU countries was about trade and the economy. For instance, in 1957 The Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was established to distribute Marshall Aid Funds. Trade between OEEC members expanded rapidly. The Council of Europe was set up in1949 to work for political and economic unification. Because of British opposition The Council was deprived of any decision-making functions and could only make recommendations which individual countries were free to accept or reject. The Council of Europe achieved little of political importance but contributed much to understanding between the states. The European coal and Steel Community was aimed to harmonize the production of iron and steel throughout western Europe and so make war between France and Germany “not only unthinkable but materially impossible”.

In1957 the then European Economic Community was founded by 6 countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Nine new Member States have since joined: in 1973 Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom; in1981 Greece; in 1986 Portugal and Spain; in 1995 Finland, Austria and Sweden. At the Summit on 12 and 13 December 2002,held in Copenhagen, the 15 Member States gave the green light for the accession of ten countries form 1 May,2004: Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lituania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Chech Republic. On the 1^st of May they all became the full members of the European Union and held their first European election in June 2004.

The condition for the accession were laid down at the European Council summit in Copenhagen in1993 and referred to as the “Copenhagen criteria”. In order to become a member of the EU, a country must have a stable democracy that guarantees the rule of law, human rights and protection of minorities, and it must have a functioning market economy as well as a civil service capable of applying and managing the EU laws. These requirements relate to the Union’s most important objectives: to ensure freedom, security and justice; to achieve economic and social progress; to strengthen the role played by Europe on the world’s Stage; to introduce European citizenship.

The countries that make up the EU remain independent sovereign nations but they pool their sovereignity in order to gain a strength and world influence none of them could. Pooling sovereignity means that the member states delegate some of their decision-making powers to The European institutions they have created. The main decision-making institutions are:

* the European Parliament, which represents the EU’s citizens and is directly elected by them. Directly elected every five years, the members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sit not in national blocs but in 7 political groups. Each group reflects the political ideology of the national parties to which its members belong. Some MEPs are not attached to any political group. The Parliament’s principal roles are as follows: a) to examine and adopt the European legislation; b) to approve the EU budget; etc.) to exercise democratic control over the other EU institutions, possibly by setting up committees of inquiry; d) to assent to important international agreements such as the accession of new EU Member States and trade or association agreements between the EU and other countries. The EP has created the Sakharov Price, which is awarded annually to an individual or group that has defended the cause of human rights anywhere in the world.

*the Council of the EU, which represents the individual member states. It is the main legislative and decision-making body in the EU. The Council together with the European Parliament sets the rules for all the activities of the European Community (EC),which forms the first ”pillar” of the EU. It covers the single market and most of the EU common policies, and guarantees freedom of movement for goods, persons, servicies and capital. In addition, the Council is the main body responsible for the second and third “pillars”, i.e. intergovernmental cooperation on common foreign and security policy and on justice and home affairs. That means, for example, that your governments are working together within the EU to combat terrorism and drug trafficking.

*The European Commission, which seeks to uphold the interests of the Union as a whole. It does a lot of day-to-day work in the EU. It drafts proposals for new European laws, which it presents to the EP and the Council. The Commission makes sure the EU decisions are properly implemented and supervises the way the EU funds are spent. It also keeps an eye out to see that everyone abides by the European treaties and European law. He European Commission consists of 20 women and men, assisted by about 24000 civil servants. The President is chosen by the governments of the EU Member States and must be approved by the EP. The other members are nominated by the member governments in consultation with the incoming president and must be also accepted by The Parliament. The Commission is appointed for a 5-year term, but it can be dismissed by the Parliament. The Commission acts independently of the governments. Of the Member States. Many, but not all, of its staff work in Brussels, Belgium.

When common rules are decided in the EU, it is of course vital that they are also followed in practice – and that they are understood in the same everywhere. This is what the Court of Justice of the European Communities ensures. It settles disputes over how the EU treaties and legislation are interpreted. It consists of one independent judge from each EU country and is located in Luxembourg. The Court of Auditors, an independent EU institution located in Luxembourg too, is the body that checks how the EU money is spent. Five other bodies complete the system:

*the European Economic and Social Committee, which ranges from employers to trade unions and from consumers to ecologists, the 222 members ( more in 2004) . It represents all of the most important interest groups in the EU. It is an advisory body and has to give its opinion on important aspects of new EU initiatives,

*the Committee of the Regions, through which local and regional authorities are consulted before the EU takes decisions in the fields such as education, health, employment or transport. The members of the Committee are often leaders of regions or mayors of cities.

*the European Central Bank is responsible for the European monetary policy. It is in charge of the single currency, the EURO. The Bank’s main objective is to ensure price stability, so that the European economy will not be damaged by inflation. It is based in Frankfurt, Germany. It is managed by a president and executive board in close cooperation with the national central banks of the EU countries.

*the European Investment Bank finances ht EU investment policy. It lends money for investment projects of European interest, in particular the projects that benefit less well-off regions. It finances ,for example, rail links, motorways, airports, environmental schemes, and investment by small businesses(SMEs) that helps create jobs and growth. It is based in Luxembourg and raises its finds on the capital markets.

*the European Ombudsman guards EU citizens and organizations against maladministration. It acts as an intermediary between the citizens and the EU authorities. It helps to uncover maladministration in the European institutions and other EU bodies,”Maladministration” means poor or failed administration. The examples of it are: unfairness, discrimination, abuse of power, lack or refusal of information, unnecessary delay, incorrect procedures.

In addition, specialized agencies have been set up to handle certain technical, scientific or management tasks. There are currently 19 agencies. Each one is set up by an individual piece of legislation that specifies the task of that particular agency. Not all of them have the word “agency” in their official title: they may, instead, be called a center ( eg. European Monitoring Center for Drugs an Drug Addiction; Translation Center; etc.); institute; foundation (eg. European Training Foundation); office ( eg. Europol or European Police Office, which was set up to handle Europe-wide criminal intelligence); authority ( eg European food Safety Authority).

In just half a century, the EU has achieved remarkable things. It has delivered peace between its Member States and prosperity for its citizens. It has created a single European currency(the EURO) and a frontier-free “single market” where goods, people, services and capital move around freely. The EU has grown from 6 to 25 and is open to embrace more. It has become a major trading power and a world leader in the fields such as environmental protection and development aid.

The EU success owes a lot to the way it works – its unique method of interaction between the institutions which are supported by a number of agencies.

Europe is a continent with many different traditions and languages, but also with shared values. The EU defends these values, it fosters cooperation among the people of Europe, promoting unity while preserving diversity and ensuring that decisions are taken as close as possible.

In increasingly interdependent world of the 21^st century, it will be more necessary for every European citizen to cooperate with people from other countries in a spirit of curiousity, tolerance and solidarity.