Editing European Union (section)

==History==
<!--Section named and ordered by WikiProject Countries-->
{{main|History of the European Union}}
{{for timeline|Timeline of European Union history}}
{{further|Treaties of the European Union|European integration}}

===Background: World Wars and aftermath===
{{further|Ideas of European unity before 1948}}
[[Internationalism (politics)|Internationalism]] and [[Ideas of European unity before 1948|visions of European unity had existed]] since well before the 19th century, but gained particularly as a reaction to [[World War I]] and its aftermath. In this light the first advances for the idea of [[European integration]] were made. In 1920 [[John Maynard Keynes]] proposed a [[European customs union]] for the struggling post-war European economies,<ref name="Taussig Keynes 1920 p. 381">{{Cite journal |last1=Taussig |first1=F.W. |last2=Keynes |first2=John Maynard |title=Keynes, The Economic Consequences of the Peace |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1882372 |journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=34 |issue=2 |page=381 |year=1920 |issn=0033-5533 |jstor=1882372 |doi=10.2307/1882372}}</ref> and in 1923 the oldest organisation for European integration, the [[Paneuropean Union]] was founded, led by [[Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi]], who later would found in June 1947 the [[European Parliamentary Union]] (EPU). [[Aristide Briand]]{{Emdash}}who was [[Prime Minister of France]], a follower of the Paneuropean Union, and [[List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates|Nobel Peace Prize laureate]] for the [[Locarno Treaties]]{{Emdash}}delivered a widely recognized speech at the [[League of Nations]] in [[Geneva]] on 5 September 1929 for a [[federal Europe]] to secure Europe and settle the historic [[Franco-German enmity]].<ref name="Schulz 2010 g046">{{Cite web |last=Schulz |first=Matthias |date=3 December 2010 |title=Der Briand-Plan und der Völkerbund als Verhandlungsarena für die europäische Einigung zwischen den Kriegen |url=http://ieg-ego.eu/de/threads/europaeische-netzwerke/politische-netzwerke/europa-netzwerke-der-zwischenkriegszeit/matthias-schulz-briand-plan-und-voelkerbund-in-der-zwischenkriegszeit |access-date=16 November 2023 |publisher=IEG(http://www.ieg-mainz.de) |language=de}}</ref><ref name="Nelsson 2019 n549">{{Cite web |last=Nelsson |first=Richard |date=5 September 2019 |title=Aristide Briand's plan for a United States of Europe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/from-the-archive-blog/2019/sep/05/aristide-briands-plan-for-united-states-of-europe-september-9 |access-date=16 November 2023 |website=the Guardian}}</ref>

With large-scale war being waged in Europe once again in the 1930s and becoming [[World War II]], the question of what to fight against and what for, had to be agreed on. A first agreement was the [[Declaration of St James's Palace]] of 1941, when [[World War II resistance|Europe's resistance]] gathered in London. This was expanded on by the 1941 [[Atlantic Charter]], establishing the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] and their common goals, inciting a new wave of global international institutions like the [[United Nations]] ([[United Nations Conference on International Organization|founded 1945]]) or the [[Bretton Woods System]] (1944).<ref name="Office of the Historian 1946 r351">{{Cite web |title=Milestones: 1937–1945 |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/bretton-woods |website=Office of the Historian |date=8 March 1946 |access-date=16 November 2023}}</ref>

In 1943 at the [[Moscow Conference (1943)|Moscow Conference]] and [[Tehran Conference]], plans to establish joint institutions for a post-war world and Europe increasingly became a part of the agenda. This led to a decision at the [[Yalta Conference]] in 1944 to form a [[European Advisory Commission]], later replaced by the [[Council of Foreign Ministers]] and the [[Allied Control Council]], following the German surrender and the [[Potsdam Agreement]] in 1945.

By the end of the war, European integration became seen as an antidote to the [[extreme nationalism]] that had caused the war.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The political consequences |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/die_politischen_folgen-de-bafcfa2d-7738-48f6-9b41-3201090b67bb.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE}}</ref> On 19 September 1946, in a much recognized speech, [[Winston Churchill]], speaking at the [[University of Zürich]], reiterated his calls since 1930 for a "European Union" and "Council of Europe", coincidentally<ref name="Union of European Federalists (UEF)">{{Cite web |title=Union of European Federalists (UEF): Churchill and Hertenstein |url=https://www.federalists.eu/uef/our-achievements/churchill-and-hertenstein |access-date=17 May 2022 |website=Union of European Federalists (UEF) |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605224333/https://www.federalists.eu/uef/our-achievements/churchill-and-hertenstein |url-status=dead}}</ref> parallel{{Clarify|reason=This whole clause is difficult to understand, primarily because "parallel" is especially unclear here|date=June 2024}} to the [[Hertensteiner Cross|Hertenstein Congress]] of the [[Union of European Federalists]],<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ein britischer Patriot für Europa: Winston Churchills Europa-Rede, Universität Zürich, 19. September 1946 |trans-title=A British Patriot for Europe: Winston Churchill's Speech on Europe University of Zurich, 19 September 1946 |work=Zeit Online |url=http://www.zeit.de/reden/die_historische_rede/200115_hr_churchill1_englisch |access-date=13 January 2010}}</ref> one of the then founded and later constituent members of the [[European Movement International|European Movement]]. One month later, the [[French Union]] was installed by the new [[Fourth French Republic]] to direct the [[decolonization]] of [[French colonies|its colonies]] so that they would become parts of a European community.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hansen |first1=Peo |last2=Jonsson |first2=Stefan |title=Bringing Africa as a 'Dowry to Europe' |url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-59237 |journal=Interventions |volume=13 |issue=3 |pages=443–463 (459) |date=2011 |s2cid=142558321 |doi=10.1080/1369801X.2011.597600}}</ref>

By 1947 a growing rift between the western Allied Powers and the [[Soviet Union]] became evident as a result of the rigged [[1947 Polish legislative election]], which constituted an open breach of the [[Yalta Agreement]]. March of that year saw two important developments. First was the signing of the [[Treaty of Dunkirk]] between [[France]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. The treaty assured mutual assistance in the event of future military aggression against either nation. Though it officially named Germany as a threat, in reality the actual concern was for the Soviet Union. A few days later came the announcement of the [[Truman Doctrine]] which pledged American support for democracies to counter the Soviets.

===Initial years and the Paris Treaty (1948{{Non breaking en dash}}1957)===
{{Main|History of European integration (1948–1957)}}

{{Multiple image
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| image1 = Schuman Declaration.ogg
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| caption1 = An excerpt of the [[Schuman Declaration]], by [[Robert Schuman]] on 9 May 1950 ([[Europe Day]])
| image2 = 1951 CECA ECSC.jpg
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| caption2 = [[Treaty of Paris (1951)|Treaty of Paris]] (1951), establishing the [[European Coal and Steel Community|ECSC]]
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Immediately following the [[1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état|February 1948 coup d'état]] by the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]], the [[London Six-Power Conference]] was held, resulting in the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] boycott of the Allied Control Council and its incapacitation, an event marking the beginning of the [[Cold War]].

The year 1948 marked the beginning of the institutionalised modern [[European integration]]. In March 1948 the [[Treaty of Brussels]] was signed, establishing the [[Western Union (alliance)|Western Union]] (WU), followed by the [[International Authority for the Ruhr]]. Furthermore, the [[Organisation for European Economic Co-operation]] (OEEC), the predecessor of the OECD, was also founded in 1948 to manage the [[Marshall Plan]], which led to the Soviets creating [[Comecon]] in response. The ensuing [[Hague Congress (1948)|Hague Congress]] of May 1948 was a pivotal moment in European integration, as it led to the creation of the [[European Movement International]], the [[College of Europe]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.isbnplus.com/9789080498310 |title=The College of Europe. Fifty Years of Service to Europe |publisher=[[College of Europe]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-90-804983-1-0 |editor-last=Mahncke |editor-first=Dieter |editor-link=Dieter Mahncke |location=Bruges |editor-last2=Bekemans |editor-first2=Léonce |editor-link2=Léonce Bekemans |editor-last3=Picht |editor-first3=Robert |editor-link3=Robert Picht |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228030332/http://www.isbnplus.com/9789080498310 |archive-date=28 December 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and most importantly to the foundation of the [[Council of Europe]] on 5 May 1949 (which is now [[Europe day|Europe Day]]). The Council of Europe was one of the first institutions to bring the sovereign states of (then only Western) Europe together, raising great hopes and fevered debates in the following two years for further European integration.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} It has since been a broad forum to further cooperation and shared issues, achieving for example the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] in 1950. Essential for the actual birth of the institutions of the EU was the [[Schuman Declaration]] on 9 May 1950 (the day after the fifth [[Victory in Europe Day]]) and the decision by six nations (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, West Germany and Italy) to follow [[Schuman]] and draft the [[Treaty of Paris (1951)|Treaty of Paris]]. This treaty was created in 1952 the [[European Coal and Steel Community]] (ECSC), which was built on the [[International Authority for the Ruhr]], installed by the Western Allies in 1949 to regulate the coal and steel industries of the Ruhr area in West Germany.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Declaration of 9 May 1950 |url=http://europa.eu/abc/symbols/9-may/decl_en.htm |access-date=5 September 2007 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref> Backed by the [[Marshall Plan]] with large funds coming from the United States since 1948, the ECSC became a milestone organisation, enabling European economic development and integration and being the origin of the main institutions of the EU such as the [[European Commission]] and [[European Parliament|Parliament]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blocker |first=Joel |date=9 April 2008 |title=Europe: How The Marshall Plan Took Western Europe From Ruins To Union |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1084818.html |access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref> [[Founding fathers of the European Union]] understood that coal and steel were the two industries essential for waging war, and believed that by tying their national industries together, a future war between their nations became much less likely.<ref name="Europa History 45-59">{{Cite web |title=A peaceful Europe&nbsp;– the beginnings of cooperation |url=http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/1945-1959/index_en.htm |access-date=12 December 2011 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref>
In parallel with Schuman, the [[Pleven Plan]] of 1951 tried but failed to tie the institutions of the developing European community under the [[European Political Community (1952)|European Political Community]], which was to include the also proposed [[Treaty establishing the European Defence Community|European Defence Community]], an alternative to [[West Germany]] joining [[NATO]] which was established in 1949 under the [[Truman Doctrine]]. In 1954 the [[Modified Brussels Treaty]] transformed the Western Union into the [[Western European Union]] (WEU). [[West Germany]] eventually joined both the WEU and NATO in 1955, prompting the [[Soviet Union]] to form the [[Warsaw Pact]] in 1955 as an institutional framework for its military domination in the countries of [[Central and Eastern Europe]]. Assessing the progress of European integration the [[Messina Conference]] was held in 1955, ordering the [[Spaak report]], which in 1956 recommended the next significant steps of European integration.

===Treaty of Rome (1958{{Non breaking en dash}}1972)===
{{Main|History of the European Communities (1958–1972)}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-45653-0001, Rom, Verträge über Zollpakt und Eurotom unterzeichnet.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Signing ceremony of the [[Treaty of Rome]] (1957), establishing the [[European Economic Community|EEC]]]]

In 1957, [[Belgium]], [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Netherlands|the Netherlands]], and [[West Germany]] signed the [[Treaty of Rome]], which created the [[European Economic Community]] (EEC) and established a [[European Union Customs Union|customs union]]. They also signed another pact creating the [[European Atomic Energy Community]] (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear power. Both treaties came into force in 1958.<ref name="Europa History 45-59" /> Although the EEC and Euratom were created separately from the ECSC, they shared the same courts and the Common Assembly. The EEC was headed by [[Walter Hallstein]] ([[Hallstein Commission]]) and Euratom was headed by [[Louis Armand]] ([[Armand Commission]]) and then [[Étienne Hirsch]] ([[Hirsch Commission]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 October 1997 |title=A European Atomic Energy Community |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/a_european_atomic_energy_community-en-19bc7f11-bea1-49c7-b534-18327c303f41.html |access-date=13 October 2013 |publisher=Cvce.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2016 |title=A European Customs Union |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/a_european_customs_union-en-a11a5f17-d744-479e-ba75-2c70b6058608.html |website=cvce.eu}}</ref> The OEEC was in turn reformed in 1961 into the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD) and its membership was extended to states outside of Europe, the United States and Canada. During the 1960s, tensions began to show, with France seeking to limit supranational power. Nevertheless, in 1965 an agreement was reached, and on 1 July 1967 the [[Merger Treaty]] created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the ''[[European Communities]]''.<ref name="ENA Merge">{{Cite web |title=Merging the executives |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/merging_the_executives-en-575850b6-f472-406a-936d-8c08a9e0db32.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE&nbsp;– Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l'Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 August 2016 |title=Merging the executives |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/merging_the_executives-en-575850b6-f472-406a-936d-8c08a9e0db32.html |website=CVCE.EU by UNI.LU |language=en}}</ref> [[Jean Rey (politician)|Jean Rey]] [[President of the European Commission|presided over]] the first merged commission ([[Rey Commission]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Commissioners – Profiles, Portfolios and Homepages |url=http://ec.europa.eu/archives/commission_2004-2009/index_en.htm |access-date=1 January 2022 |website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref>

===First enlargement and European co-operation (1973{{Non breaking en dash}}1993)===
{{Main|History of the European Communities (1973–1993)}}

[[File:Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford and Members of the American Delegation Taking a Break at the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Helsinki, Finland - NARA - 7462031.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Gerald Ford]] and the American delegation at the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe|CSCE]] (1975)]]

In 1973, the communities were enlarged to include [[Denmark]] (including Greenland), Ireland, and the [[Accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities|United Kingdom]].<ref name="ENA First enlargement">{{Cite web |title=The first enlargement |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/the_first_enlargement-en-fa871903-53b5-497e-855f-01c9842c7b94.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE}}</ref> [[Norway]] had negotiated to join at the same time, but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a [[1972 Norwegian European Communities membership referendum|referendum]]. The ''[[Ostpolitik]]'' and the ensuing détente led to establishment of a first truly pan-European body, the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (CSCE), predecessor of the modern [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE). In 1979, the [[1979 European Parliament election|first direct elections]] to the European Parliament were held.<ref name="ENA New Parliament">{{Cite web |title=The new European Parliament |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/the_new_european_parliament-en-e40aba1b-45f1-43bf-bbd1-a34bb52f15db.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE}}</ref> [[Greece]] joined in 1981. In 1985, Greenland [[1982 Greenlandic European Communities membership referendum|left the Communities]], following a dispute over fishing rights. During the same year, the [[Schengen Agreement]] paved the way for the creation of open borders without passport controls between most member states and some non-member states.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 April 2001 |title=Schengen agreement |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/europe/euro-glossary/1230052.stm |access-date=18 September 2009}}</ref> In 1986, the [[Single European Act]] was signed. Portugal and [[Accession Treaty of Spain to the European Economic Community|Spain]] joined in 1986.<ref name="ENA Enlargement negotiations">{{Cite web |title=Negotiations for enlargement |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/negotiations_for_enlargement-en-19a4fd81-119d-4090-bfac-c7cc8ae64a20.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE}}</ref> In 1990, after [[revolutions of 1989|the fall of the Eastern Bloc]], the former [[East Germany]] became part of the communities as part of a [[German reunification|reunified Germany]].<ref name="Europa History 80-89">{{Cite web |title=1980–1989 The changing face of Europe – the fall of the Berlin Wall |url=http://europa.eu/abc/history/1980-1989/index_en.htm |access-date=25 June 2007 |publisher=Europa web portal}}</ref>

=== Treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice (1993{{Non breaking en dash}}2004) ===
{{Main|History of the European Union (1993–2004)}}

[[File:GER — BY — Regensburg - Donaumarkt 1 (Museum der Bayerischen Geschichte; Vertrag von Maastricht) (cropped).JPG|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Maastricht Treaty]] (1992), establishing the EU]]

The European Union was formally established when the [[Maastricht Treaty]]—whose main architects were [[Horst Köhler]],<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Michael M. |last1=Phillips |first2=Cecilie |last2=Rohwedder |first3=Erik |last3=Portanger|date=15 March 2000 |title=IMF Candidate Koehler Brings Solid Experience |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB953070920392677459 |access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref> [[Helmut Kohl]] and [[François Mitterrand]]—came into force on 1 November 1993.{{sfn|Craig |De Burca|2011|page=15}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Treaty of Maastricht on European Union |url=http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/economic_and_monetary_affairs/institutional_and_economic_framework/treaties_maastricht_en.htm |access-date=20 October 2007 |website=Activities of the European Union |publisher=Europa web portal}}</ref> The treaty also gave the name ''[[European Community]]'' to the EEC, even if it was referred to as such before the treaty. With further enlargement planned to include the former [[communist state]]s of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as [[Cyprus]] and [[Malta]], the [[Copenhagen criteria]] for candidate members to join the EU were agreed upon in June 1993. The expansion of the EU introduced a new level of complexity and discord.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hunt |first=Michael H. |title=The World Transformed, 1945 to the Present |publisher=Oxford University press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-937103-7 |location=New York |pages=516–517}}</ref> In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden [[1995 enlargement of the European Union|joined]] the EU.

In 2002, euro banknotes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. Since then, the [[eurozone]] has increased to encompass 20 countries. The euro currency became the second-largest reserve currency in the world. In 2004, the EU saw [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|its biggest enlargement to date]] when Cyprus, the Czech Republic, [[Estonia]], [[Hungary]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Malta]], [[Poland]], [[Slovakia]], and [[Slovenia]] joined the union.<ref name="Europa History 00">{{Cite web |title=A decade of further expansion |url=http://europa.eu/abc/history/2000_today/index_en.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211143505/http://europa.eu/abc/history/2000_today/index_en.htm |archive-date=11 February 2007 |access-date=25 June 2007 |publisher=Europa web portal}}</ref>

===Treaty of Lisbon and Brexit (2004{{Non breaking en dash}}present)===
{{Main|History of the European Union (2004–present)}}

[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (04).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|Signing ceremony of the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] (2007)]]

In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania became EU members. Later that year, Slovenia adopted the euro,<ref name="Europa History 00" /> followed by Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014, Lithuania in 2015, and Croatia in 2023.

On 1 December 2009, the [[Treaty of Lisbon|Lisbon Treaty]] entered into force and reformed many aspects of the EU. In particular, it changed the legal structure of the European Union, merging the [[Three pillars of the European Union|EU three pillars]] system into a single legal entity provisioned with a [[legal personality]], created a permanent [[president of the European Council]], the first of which was [[Herman Van Rompuy]], and strengthened the position of the [[High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy|high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy]].{{sfn|Piris|2010|page=448}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Parliament announces new President and Foreign Affairs Minister |url=http://government.zdnet.com/?p=6266 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515055515/http://government.zdnet.com/?p=6266 |archive-date=15 May 2016 |access-date=1 December 2009}}</ref>

In 2012, the EU received the [[2012 Nobel Peace Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] for having "contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe".<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 October 2012 |title=The Nobel Peace Prize 2012 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2012/ |access-date=12 October 2012 |publisher=Nobelprize.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=12 October 2012 |title=Nobel Committee Awards Peace Prize to E.U |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/nobel-peace-prize.html |url-status=live |journal=New York Times |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/nobel-peace-prize.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |access-date=12 October 2012}}</ref> In 2013, [[Croatia]] became the 28th EU member.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2013 |title=Croatia: From isolation to EU membership |work=BBC News |agency=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22218640 |access-date=14 May 2013}}</ref>

From the beginning of the 2010s, the cohesion of the European Union has been tested by several issues, including [[European debt crisis|a debt crisis in some of the eurozone countries]], [[2015 European migrant crisis|a surge in asylum seekers in 2015]], and the [[Brexit|United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU]].<ref name="BBCUKREFRESLT">{{Cite web |title=EU Referendum Result |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results |access-date=26 June 2016 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> A [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|referendum in the UK on its membership of the European Union]] was held in 2016, with 51.9 per cent of participants voting to leave.<ref name="NYTEUBrexit">{{Cite news |last=Erlanger |first=Steven |date=23 June 2016 |title=Britain Votes to Leave E.U., Stunning the World |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/world/europe/britain-brexit-european-union-referendum.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=24 June 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/world/europe/britain-brexit-european-union-referendum.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The UK formally notified the European Council of its decision to leave on 29 March 2017, initiating the [[Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union|formal withdrawal procedure for leaving the EU]]; following extensions to the process, the [[United Kingdom|UK]] left the European Union on 31 January 2020, though most areas of EU law continued to apply to the UK for a transition period which lasted until 31 December 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Landler |first1=Mark |last2=Castle |first2=Stephen-US |last3=Mueller |first3=Benjamin |date=31 January 2020 |title=At the Stroke of Brexit, Britain Steps, Guardedly, Into a New Dawn |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/world/europe/brexit-britain-leaves-EU.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=31 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131231006/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/world/europe/brexit-britain-leaves-EU.html |archive-date=31 January 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The early 2020s saw Denmark [[2022 Danish European Union opt-out referendum|abolishing one of its three opt-outs]] and Croatia [[Croatia and the euro|adopting the Euro]].

After the [[COVID-19 recession|economic crisis]] caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the EU leaders agreed for the first time to create common debt to finance the European Recovery Program called [[Next Generation EU]] (NGEU).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recovery plan for Europe |url=https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/recovery-plan-europe_en |access-date=2 May 2021 |website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref>

On 24 February 2022, after massing on the borders of Ukraine, the [[Russian Armed Forces]] undertook an attempt for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2022 |title=Russia-Ukraine war: humanitarian corridor opened from Sumy; Moscow threatens to cut gas supplies to Europe |publisher=theguardian.com |agency=theguardian.com |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/08/ukraine-news-russia-war-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskiy-kyiv-russian-invasion-live-latest-updates |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2022 |title=In pictures: Russia invades Ukraine |publisher=cnn.com |agency=cnn.com |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/14/world/gallery/ukraine-russia-crisis/index.html |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref> The European Union imposed [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War#EU sanctions|heavy sanctions on Russia]] and agreed on a pooled military aid package to Ukraine for lethal weapons funded via the [[European Peace Facility]] off-budget instrument.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Deutsch |first1=Jillian |last2=Pronina |first2=Lyubov |date=27 February 2022 |title=EU Approves 450 Million Euros of Arms Supplies for Ukraine |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-27/eu-approves-450-million-euros-in-lethal-military-aid-for-ukraine |website=[[Bloomberg.com]]}}</ref>
[[File:The ancient Roman Agora is illuminated during the Next Gen EU event, in Athens, Greece, on June 16, 2021.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The ancient [[Roman Agora]] in Athens illuminated with a Next Generation EU sign]]'''Next Generation EU''' ('''NGEU''') is a [[European Commission]] [[economic recovery]] package to support the EU member states to recover from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], in particular those that have been particularly hard hit. It is sometimes styled '''NextGenerationEU''' and '''Next Gen EU''', and also called the '''European Union Recovery Instrument'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2094/oj|title=Council Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 of 14 December 2020 establishing a European Union Recovery Instrument to support the recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis |website=EUR-Lex}}</ref> Agreed in principle by the [[European Council]] on 21 July 2020 and adopted on 14 December 2020, the instrument is worth {{Euro|750&nbsp;billion|link=yes}}. NGEU will operate from 2021 to 2026,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recovery plan for Europe |url=https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/recovery-plan-europe_en |access-date=5 July 2023 |website=European Commission |language=en}}</ref> and will be tied to the regular [[Multiannual Financial Framework#2021–2027 Financial Framework and recovery package|2021–2027 budget of the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework]] (MFF). The comprehensive NGEU and MFF packages are projected to reach €1824.3&nbsp;billion.<ref>[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2020/07/17-21/ Special European Council, 17–21 July 2020 – Main results] Retrieved 15 November 2020.</ref>
Preparing the Union for a new great enlargement is a political priority for the Union, with the goal of achieving 35 member states by 2030. Institutional and budgetary reforms are being discussed in order for the Union to be ready for the new members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 October 2023 |title=Informal meeting of European Council in Grenada to discuss EU enlargement |url=https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2023/10/03/informal-meeting-of-european-council-in-grenada-to-discuss-eu-enlargement/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 August 2023 |title=Charles Michel: EU and accession candidates must be ready for enlargement by 2030 |url=https://jam-news.net/michel-eu-enlargement-by-2030/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=EU should be ready to accept 10 new countries: Official – Turkiye Newspaper |date=September 2023 |url=https://www.turkiyenewspaper.com/politics/16241}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 June 2023 |title=EU countries to start talks on how to make future enlargement work |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement-neighbourhood/news/eu-countries-to-start-talks-on-how-to-make-future-enlargement-work/}}</ref>

In May 2024, concerns rise, that the outcome of the elections in June, can undermine some of the crucial policies of the EU in the domain of environment, diplomacy, [[economy]]. [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|The war in Ukraine]] by creating inflation, lowering life level created a possibility of strong changes in the 2024 elections.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Teng |first1=Tina |title=EU elections: What happens if the far-right parties gain more power? |url=https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/05/22/eu-elections-what-happens-if-the-far-right-parties-gain-more-power |access-date=3 June 2024 |agency=Euronews |date=22 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Naschert |first1=Camilla |title=Climate debate intertwined with cost-of-living concerns as EU elections loom |url=https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/electric-power/052824-climate-debate-intertwined-with-cost-of-living-concerns-as-eu-elections-loom |website=S&P Global |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>

===Timeline===
{{EU evolution timeline}}

{{Clear}}