Among the organizations, the European Union is, by far, the most extensive.
Be it in its competences, budget, and specific institutions
combining supranationality and intergovernmental.
Some institutions, such as the European Commission and the Parliament
represent Europe's interests. Others, like the Council of the European Union
represent the interests of its members, the states.
This model improved over time through a thorough economic integration.
Let us take a closer look at this unique model.
In the last sixty years, the European Union has expanded and extended.
This extension went along with the creation of a Europe "à la carte".
It is codified by treaties negotiated by European governments
using two different methods: "classic" and "by convention",
ratified by the member states' parliaments
and defining the limitations of the EU's competences.
Today, the European Union consists of twenty-eight member states.
While its ancestor, the European Coal and Steel Community, the CECA,
had originally 6 members after World War II in 1951.
Followed by the European Economic Community, the EEC, in 1957.
Its core authority lies in the socioeconomic fields.
In 1960 the CEE created and regulated a common market,
which was developed in the 1990s.
Its first policy, the Common Agricultural Policy,
was gradually completed by regional aid, research,
health and more recently foreign policies.
They cover most political, social and economic sectors.
The single market facilitated the movement of production factors,
goods, services and capitals.
After World War II, cooperating through trade
seemed the better way to unite European countries
against the Soviet threat, and to support prosperity and secure peace,
than a cooperation with ambitious political objectives.
This was proven by France's rejection
of the European Defense Community in 1954,
which put an end during 40 years to any European advance
separate from the USA in the defense area.
In order to go further in the economic union,
the Maastricht Treaty created in 1992 the project of the single currency,
the euro, which was released in 2002.
Following the integration through market logic,
the euro had to create solidarity between European countries.
In 2015, 19 countries of the European Union use the euro.
The euro has been at the core of the financial crisis since 2008,
which seemed to threaten its durability.
Today, the single currency is still powerful and attractive for countries
such as Latvia and Lithuania which adopted it in 2014 and 2015.
The financial crisis compelled euro area member states
to adopt new regulations which strengthen the cooperation
in budgetary and banking sectors.
Because there is no real European government,
the member states decided to have a more severe supervision
to prevent states from systematically asking for the others' help.
Another central element of European integration
was the introduction
of freedom of movement for EU citizens.
In 1985, five states signed a treaty in Schengen, a non-EEC city
in Luxembourg.
The treaty which was incorporated in the European Union
allows the citizens of 26 countries to move and settle
in any other member state without any passport or systematic control.
The freedom of movement is the benefit European citizens value the most
according to a Eurobarometer survey.
But it also raises concerns regarding the control of the European borders,
the African boat people and the fear
of too many internal European migrations in this context
of economic crisis.
To overcome this, the member states try to reinforce their cooperation
in these fields. They created Frontex, an agency based in Warsaw, Poland.