The European Union

   This post will be about the EU. Ever wanted to find out more about it? If so, please read on...

     The present-day European Union was first called "The European Coal and Steel Community". France, Italy, West Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were the founding members. The present-day members of the EU joined at different times. Here is an illustration showing when each member entered the European Union:

    The EU's coin, the euro, first started being used in 2002 (replacing the French franc, the German mark, the Finnish krona etc.), but there have also been countries that have started using Euro after this date (Slovakia and Slovenia, for example).

    People's attitudes towards the European Union have been mixed; some countries (mostly the ones in Eastern Europe) are really proud of being a part of the EU, because they no longer require exit visas to visit other European countries, and some have also been able to adopt the euro; in the West, however, people aren't that optimistic; they're worried about Greece's situation, and some countries even want to give up on the euro (like Finland; the UK and Denmark have opt-outs on the euro, because these countries Governments are perfectly happy to continue using their old coins...) Adopting the Euro isn't that easy, however, there are 5 criteria that have to be fulfilled before adopting.

    What do you think about the European Union? Do you think joining was a good idea? Are you happy with the pound,or would you rather use the Euro? Do you think the European Union is making Europe a better place or not?