The European Union consists of 15 countries. Under the Union these countries will have one currency, one set of laws and one government. After four decades there is still a slow road ahead.

A Parliament and Council govern the European Union. Citizens vote in elections every five years to elect their leaders.

In 1957 after World War II, the European Economic Community was formed, initially combining Europe's big industries. By 1991 the European Economic Community had grown into a fifteen-member Union. All included states agreed to the Maastricht Treaty and are now pushing for a single currency.

For many years Europe has been plagued by brutal wars over religion, borders, and even old pride. Some people still feel very strongly about these issues.

Countries of the Warsaw Pact are eager to join the Union, however Russians feel unwanted. They feel because of their communist backgrounds other countries do not trust them. Some people say the Union will have too much power. These peop

The second point of conflict against the E.U. is the Euro dollar. Many people feel that by giving up their currency they are in fact giving up their sovereignty. This point of conflict is just becoming apparent since the plans for the Euro dollar have been postponed and seemed unrealistic. Currently the plan is to introduce the euro-denomination notes and coins by January 2002 in 11 of the 15 member states in the European Union.

Some common words found in the essay are:
European Union, West Germany, Sweden EU, EU Euro, European Parliament, Europe America, Economic Community, Warsaw Pact, Union Russians, Maastricht December, european union, european economic community, economic community, people feel, european economic, maastricht treaty, warsaw pact, european parliament, union european, single market, euro dollar, pact eager join, warsaw pact eager, italy luxembourg netherlands, france italy luxembourg,
Approximate Word count = 1474
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)