This PPT gives you an outline about the formation, organizations and the functions of the EU.

1. Power Point Presentation
V. MURUGAN,
Assistant Professor of History,
Vivekananda College,
Tiruvedakam West,
Madurai District,
Tamil Nadu.

2. The European Union

3. Introduction
It is a Continental Organization.
It is a Political and Economic Union.
Located in Europe.

4. Member States
 It consists of 27 members at present.

5. Official
Languages
It has 23 official languages

6. History of Origin
•The idea of European integration was
conceived to prevent such killing and
destruction during II World War from ever
happening again.
•It was first proposed by the French Foreign
Minister Robert Schuman in a speech on May
9, 1950.
•In 1950, he proposed integrating the coal and
steel industries of Western Europe.

7. History of Origin …
• As a result, in 1951, the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC) was set up.
• It had Six members: Belgium, West Germany,
Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
• The power to take decisions about the coal and steel
industry in these countries was placed in the hands of
an independent, supranational body called the “High
Authority”.
• In 1957 they signed the Treaties of Rome, creating the
European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM)
and the European Economic Community (EEC).

8. History of Origin …
• The member states set about removing trade barriers between them
and forming a “common market”.
• In 1967 the institutions of the three European communities were
merged.
• There was a single Commission and a single Council of Ministers as
well as the European Parliament.
• European Union (EU) means that these countries have to take joint
decisions on economic and political integration between the member
states on many matters.
• So they have developed common policies in a very wide range of fields.

9. EU Institutions
•European Parliament.
•Council of the European Union.
•European Commission.
•Court of Justice.
•Court of Auditors.

10. European
Parliament
• The European Parliament is the democratic
voice of the people of Europe.
• The members are directly elected every five
years.
• The members of the European Parliament sit
not in national blocs but in seven 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.
• In the European Parliament nearly 30 % of
the MEPs elected were women.

11. The Council of European Union
•The Council of the European Union formerly known as the Council
of Ministers.
•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).
•It covers the single market and most of the EU’s common policies, and
guarantees freedom of movement for goods, persons, services and
capital.
•It brings together the representatives of all the Member State
governments, who are elected at national level.

12. The European
Commission
• The European Commission does a lot of the
day-to-day work in the European Union.
• It drafts proposals for new European laws.
• It presents laws in the European Parliament and
the Council.
• The Commission makes sure that EU decisions
are properly implemented and supervises the
way EU funds are spent.
• It also keeps an eye out to see that everyone
abides by the European treaties and European
law.

13. Court of
Justice
•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 way everywhere.
•The Court of Justice of the
European Communities ensures
this.

14. European Court of Auditors
•The funds available to the EU must be
used legally, economically and for the
intended purpose.
•The Court of Auditors, an independent
EU institution located in Luxemburg.
•It is the body that checks how EU money
is spent.
•These auditors help European taxpayers
to get better value for the money that has
been channelled into the EU.

15. The European
Central Bank
• European Central Bank is in charge of the single
currency, “the Euro”.
• The Bank independently manages European
monetary policy.
• The Bank’s main objective is to ensure price stability.
• So that the European economy will not be damaged
by inflation.

16. Conclusion
• In the early years, much of the co-operation between
EU countries was about trade and the economy.
• Now the EU also deals with many other subjects of
direct importance for everyday life.
• Such as citizens’ rights, ensuring freedom, security and
justice, job creation, regional development,
environmental protection, and making globalization
work for everyone.
• The European Union has delivered half a century of
stability, peace and prosperity.
• It has helped to raise living standards, built a single
Europe wide market, launched the single European
currency, the Euro, and strengthened Europe’s voice in
the world.