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Logo of European Commission. Author European Commission.

Top 10 Sensational Facts about the European Commission

A powerful organization in the world order, The European Union (EU) is said to be a supranational political and economic union comprising of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe.

It Controls a total area of 4,233,255.3 km2 (1,634,469.0 sq mi) and an estimated total population of about 447 million people. Some pundits have often described it as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison) combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.[

1. It Was Created In The Aftermath Of The Second World War

War Office Second World War Official Collection. Author No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit.

The EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. Due to devastation of war, Europe鈥檚 economy was left in shambles, and, majority of the population were homeless or displaced. Additionally, as European industries tried to get back on their feet, political tensions had split East and West in a rising Cold War.

Initially they were tasked with the responsibility of fostering economic cooperation. This meant that countries that trade with one another would become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict. The result was the creation of European Economic Community in 1958 with the initial aim of increasing economic cooperation between six founding countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

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 2. It Has Been Involved In Creating Lasting Peace And Relative Stability in Europe

The EU is no longer merely an economic union. One of its milestones is that it has created lasting peace and relative stability in Europe over the years. You will be happy to know that It even won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2012.

However, though some assert that a 鈥淓uropean identity鈥� exists, scholars debate its existence. They say that being European doesn鈥檛 necessarily imply support for the European Union. The Brexit case was a perfect example.

3. They Also Have A Single European Currency, the euro

Euro Symbol. Author European Commission.

Apart from delivering more than half a century of peace, stability and prosperity, helped raise living standards, they have also launched a single European currency: the euro. We can confirm that more than 340 million EU citizens in 19 countries now use it as their currency and enjoy its benefits.

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4. The European Union Has Provided An Opportunity For Free Movement

Logo of European Commission in English. Author European Commission.

Thanks to the abolition of border controls between EU countries, the Union has been able to provide people with an opportunity to travel freely throughout most of the continent. This has made it easier to live and work in another country in Europe. All EU citizens enjoy the right and freedom to choose in which EU country they want to study, work or retire.

It calls for every EU country must treat EU citizens in exactly the same way as its own citizens when it comes to matters of employment, social security and tax.

5. The EU Thrives On The Single Market As Its Main Economic Engine

Euro Banknotes Europa series. Author Pawe艂MM.

The EU thrives on the single market as its main economic engine.  It enables most goods, services, money and people to move freely. The EU aims to develop this huge resource to other areas like energy, knowledge and capital markets to ensure that Europeans can draw the maximum benefit from it.

For the beneficiaries, the EU remains focused on making its governing institutions more transparent and democratic. This enables an environment where decisions are taken as openly as possible and as close as possible to the citizen. This responsibility has been bestowed directly to the elected European Parliament.  

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6. The EU Is Governed By The Principle Of Representative Democracy

The EU is governed by the principle of representative democracy, with citizens directly represented at EU level in the European Parliament and Member States represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU.

European citizens are now being encouraged to contribute to the democratic life of the EU by giving their views on EU policies during their development or by suggesting improvements to existing laws and policies.

They have come up with 鈥淭he European Citizens Initiative鈥� that empowers citizens to have a greater say on EU policies which affect their lives. Citizens can also submit complaints and inquiries concerning the application of EU law.

7. The EU is based on the rule of law

The EU is based on the rule of law. Everything the EU does is founded on treaties, which are voluntarily and democratically agreed by its member countries. Law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary. The EU countries have given final jurisdiction in matters of EU law to the European Court of Justice, whose judgments have to be respected by all.

As enshrined in the Treaty on European Union, 鈥榯he Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are derived from the Member States in a society which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice; solidarity and equality between women and men prevail鈥�. These values are an integral part of the European way of life.

Further, being a European citizen also means enjoying political rights and equality. Every adult EU citizen has been given the right to stand as a candidate and to vote in elections to the European Parliament, whether in their country of residence or country of origin.

8. The Member States Delegate Some Of Their Decision-Making Powers To The Shared Institutions They Have Created

The unique feature of the EU is that, although the Member States all remain sovereign and independent states, they have decided to pool some of their 鈥榮overeignty鈥� in areas where it makes sense to work together.

In practice, this means that the Member States delegate some of their decision-making powers to the shared institutions they have created, so that decisions on specific matters of common interest can be made democratically at EU level.

However, the national parliaments of the Member States also play a role in taking decisions and making laws, as do two advisory bodies. These are the European Committee of the Regions, which consists of representatives of regional and local government, and the European Economic and Social Committee, comprising representatives of employees鈥� and employers鈥� organization鈥檚 and stakeholders鈥� groups.

9. Not All Member States Participate In All Areas of EU Policy

Flag of Denmark. Photo by John Erfurt on

In certain specific cases, not all Member States participate in all areas of EU policy. For example, while the euro is the single currency of the EU as a whole, the euro area currently comprises only 19 Member States, while Denmark has an opt-out and the remaining countries do not yet meet the criteria for joining. 22 Member States are members of the Schengen area, which enables passport-free movement, with five maintaining their own border controls.

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10. During The COVID-19 Pandemic, EU Were Successfully Able To Contain The Situation

Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic led to human tragedy, lock downs and economic slowdown. The EU rapidly took action to protect lives and livelihoods and developed a common European response to the public health and economic challenges.

The EU took the responsibility to mobilize all resources available to help Member States coordinate their national responses. These included providing objective information about the spread of the virus, effective efforts to contain it and action to repair the economic and social damage resulting from the pandemic.

 The EU financed some of the upfront costs faced by vaccine producers to speed up the development and production of promising vaccines as part of its vaccine purchasing strategy. To date, four safe and effective vaccines have been authorized for use in the EU following positive scientific recommendations by the European Medicines Agency.