The European Union, formerly known as European Communities (ECSC, EEC and EAEC-Euratom), is the result of a process of cooperation and integration, which began in 1951, aiming at the construction of a common project of peace and prosperity.

After more than fifty years and five enlargements, it has become a family of European countries, governed according to principles of democracy and Rule of Law, guided by the respect for Human Rights and market economies, comprising at present 27 Member-States and approximately 500 million people.

- Brief historical context
- How does the EU function
- Treaties
- Enlargement
- Single market
- Economic and Monetary Union
- EU Finances